After the Fall
by WispyWillows11
Summary: When he tumbled off that cliff clutching onto Hannibal Lecter, the only thought Will Graham had was how wrong he was to have decided to kill the two of them. Their love would never be and that was the biggest regret Will ever had. Good thing they survived the fall.
1. Chapter One: Waking

"Sometimes you fall down because there's something down there worth finding." -Unknown

When Will Graham wakes up, he's surprised. Not surprised at where he is, but surprised that he's anywhere. Was it simply a vivid dream that he had tumbled off the cliff clutching onto Hannibal Lecter? Was it all in his mind that he had plummeted closer and closer to the water below. He remembered blacking out, but he assumed he had died then. Perhaps... he had survived? Well, that must be it.

Will looks around the room he resides in. Wood panels line the room with small windows here and there. There is a small wooden table with a matching chair in the corner and a dresser in the other. There is another chair as well as a small fireplace beside the bed Will lies in. The bed has an ugly quilt on it, but the shabby interior of the cabin does not matter at the moment.

There are more pressing matters that need addressing.

Will sits up and lets out a small cry as he feels a stab of pain in the right side of his chest. That's right, Will thinks. I was stabbed.

"Did you forget you were stabbed?" a voice with a distinct accent asks from seemingly nowhere.

Will looks to his right and leaning against the frame of a hallway leading back into the cabin is someone Will thought he'd never see again.

Hannibal Lecter himself.

The doctor does not look well. Baggy, dark circles underline his brown eyes. His skin is pale and ashen. His hair is disheveled, locks turning this way and that. There's even a bit of stubble on his chin and cheeks. Despite, all this, it's still Hannibal.

Will breaths, "Hannibal."

"Hello, Will." Hannibal replies, walking over and sitting down in the wooden chair in the corner. "How are you feeling?"

"Not great," Will admits, rubbing his eyes.

"Well, taking a tumble off a cliff will do that to a person," Hannibal replies, a slight acidity to his voice.

Will looks down at his hands, fidgeting. "Look, Hannibal, why I did th-"

"I know why you did it," Hannibal interrupts. "You felt that you needed to kill me; I am a menace to society after all. However, you couldn't bring yourself to actually commit murder against me."

"Of course I couldn't kill you," Will replies. "How could I?"

"You couldn't. So you decided on the next best thing," Hannibal says. "It was a good plan... except for the fact that it didn't work out so well."

"No. So, where are we?" Will changes the subject.

"We are in a cabin in Berlin, Maryland. Chiyoh owns it. She's out getting supplies at the moment," Hannibal explains.

"I see," Will nods. "When will she be back?"

"I'm not sure. Don't want to be alone with me, Will?" Hannibal asks.

"No, I'm simply wondering," Will replies, looking at his fidgeting fingers.

There's an awkward silence in the cabin, neither men saying a word. If there was a knife in the room, it'd be cutting the tension.

"I... I'm sorry," Will murmurs.

"Sorry?" Hannibal questions.

"I'm sorry I tried to kill you," Will repeats. "I regretted it as soon as I pulled us over the cliff."

"You did?"

Will nods. He takes a deep breath before speaking. "Yes. All I could think when we were toppling off that cliff was, 'No. No, please, no. I can't lose him. I want to be with him, this man. I want to be with him more than anything.' I couldn't stop thinking those thoughts when we were plummeting to our deaths, or what I thought was our deaths. I thought I needed to kill you, but all I needed was you. Here, with me."

Hannibal looks at Will. Just looks at him, not saying a word. Will can't tell what the older man is thinking; he never can.

"Please say something, Hannibal," Will pleads, a little more pathetically than he meant to. "Please."

"Does something need to be said on my end?" Hannibal asks.

"Usually, a response when one has shared intimate feelings such as I have is generally appreciated."

"I simply figure you must know my feelings for you by now, Will," Hannibal starts. "You know how much I want you. Need you. With you, I don't need anything else. When I first met you, my breath caught in my throat. My heart started to pound. My stomach did back flips. I'd never experienced those things in my life before and I didn't know what they were at the time. I know now that that was the beginning of falling in love with you."

Silence.

"Will?"

"I love you, too."

Hannibal rises from the chair and walks over to where Will lies in his bed. "I know."

"Oh, you do?" Will questions.

"Of course. I always have."

"Always? I only recently realized I did."

"Even if you didn't know, I did. And I'm assuming you always knew about my love for you?"

"I did not, actually," Will admits. "Bedelia had too bring it to my attention for me to finally realize."

"You have your strengths, but you do have your weaknesses, dear Will," Hannibal smirks.

Will scoffs. "Yes, I'm the only one here in the room with any weaknesses!"

Hannibal smirks back at Will. "We all have our weaknesses. You happen to be one of mine."

Will weakly smiles, then abruptly stops. "That's the real reason I tried to kill you. Not because you're a 'menace to society', but because you showed me who I really am. I couldn't take it, couldn't come to grips with it. I'm a..." Will hesitates.

"A killer? It's not a swear word, Will," Hannibal says. "It's what you are. And you need to come to terms with it."

"I know what I am," Will says softly. "I'm just... it's just hard."

"I know," Hannibal nods. "However, when you finally do, you can finally live."

Hannibal moves to the chair beside Will's bed. "And love."

Will grabs Hannibal's hand and squeezes it tightly. "I already know how to love. Believe you me."

Hannibal smiles warmly, genuine affection in his eyes. "I believe you, Will."

Having the worst possible timing in the world, it seemed to Will, Chiyoh walked in at this time. "I am sorry. I am interrupting?" Chiyoh asks.

Will blushes and drops Hannibal's hand. "What? No."

Hannibal rolls his eyes. "Will is still coming to terms with what he is."

"A killer or a bisexual?" Chiyoh asks, setting down multiple bags on the wooden table.

"Both."

"Hey!"

"I have supplies," Chiyoh changes the subject. "Enough for a few weeks while you two heal, but then you must leave. Go overseas."

"We will," Hannibal nods.

"Well, I only wanted to drop off supplies. I can get out of here," Chiyoh says. "I need to, actually. I don't want to get into trouble with the police over helping you two."

"No one would want that," Hannibal stands. "You'll be going now?"

"Why?" Chiyoh cocks an eyebrow. "Do you have something you'd rather be doing at the moment?"

Will's heartbeat accelerates and his eyes flick back to Hannibal.

Hannibal's lips curl into a mischievous grin. "Whatever can you mean by that, Chiyoh?"

"I meant sleeping, of course," she replies. "You two need to rest in order to heal completely."

"Of course that's what you meant," Hannibal retorts.

"Well, I will leave you to that," Chiyoh says, opening the door to the cabin. "I will not be seeing you two again. I mean, I might see you both in the papers when you're caught inevitably, but I doubt in person."

"Who says we're going to be caught?" Will questions.

"Fate does," Chiyoh says simply, before exiting and slamming the door behind her.

"She definitely has a flair for the dramatic," Hannibal says.

"She's certainly not the only one who does," Will cracks a smile."You can be quite dramatic yourself, Hannibal. You surely love the theatricality in life."

"I love you in my life," Hannibal smiles softly, crossing the floor and sitting in a chair beside the bed this time.

"And I you," Will replies.

The two sit there for a good minute, not saying a word, simply enjoying the silence passing between the two.

"Hannibal?"

"Yes, Will?"

"Will you sleep with me tonight?"

"I would love to, but I think that your injuries are too severe for such vigorous activity at the mo-"

"No, no, not like that!" Will interrupts. "I meant I just want to fall asleep together, but it's nice to see where your mind is at."

"Oh, I see," Hannibal chuckles. "I would love to, Will."

Will smiles at Hannibal. He cannot believe this. He thought that he hated this man, loathed him even, but deep down he must have known that it was not hate, but love he felt for Hannibal. Deep down, he must have known it, he just couldn't admit it until he knew that Hannibal returned his feelings. When he finally found out how the other man felt, he could admit how he feels to himself and also to the man he was in love with.

The killer he was in love with.

That was another thing that Will had to admit to himself; what he himself was. He also was a killer. When he had killed Garret Jacob Hobbs, yes it had felt good, but he convinced himself that was simply because Hobbs was a killer and he had stopped Hobbs from hurting any more girls. That was not the reason.

The actual act of killing someone was why it had felt so good, so great. That is how it actually felt now that he felt about it. It felt absolutely great.

But when he killed Francis Dolarhyde, that was... orgasmic. That's the only way to describe it. When Will stabbed him, gutting the man like a pig, the world seemed to stop. Time seemed to slow and then stand still.

And the fact that he was killing with Hannibal made everything so much better. When Hannibal ripped out the man's throat with his bare teeth, Will's heartbeat quickened and he suddenly saw Hannibal in a different light. A darker light, if that made any sense.

He liked it. A lot. That was the moment that Will knew what he was.

"Will?" Will snaps out of his apparent trance. "What?"

"You were staring off into space."

"Oh, was I?" Will says sheepishly. "Sorry, I was just thinking."

"Something you do too much," Hannibal replies.

"Well, get in bed with me and I'll stop."

Hannibal rises from the chair, sheds his dress shirt, folds it, and hangs it over the back of the chair. Will moves over in the bed and Hannibal climbs in. Uncharacteristically of the man, Hannibal quite tentatively wraps his arms around Will.

"What's wrong?" Will asks.

"I simply can't believe I finally have you."

"You've always had me."

With that final thought in both of their minds, the two drift off to sleep.


	2. Chapter Two: Healing

"Hannibal. H-Hannibal...Hannibal!"

Hannibal shakes Will. "Will! Wake up!"

Will's eyes pop open and see Hannibal's brown ones peering back into his own. "Oh, I-I must h-have been having a-a nightmare. I d-did, I remember now. I... dreamed I lost you."

Hannibal presses his lips to Will's forehead. "You couldn't if you tried. Quite literally."

Will smirks back. "You are just not going to let that go are you?"

"I'm not going to let you go," Hannibal replies. "Go back to sleep, Will. It's still quite early."

"M'kay," Will murmurs drowsily. Will scoots closer to Hannibal and lays his head on the older man's chest. "If you insist."

"I do," Hannibal coos.

Will lays his head on Hannibal's chest and Hannibal wraps his arms around the younger man. Feeling Will in his arms instantly relaxes him and he drifts back off to sleep.

When Will awakens again, he's discovered that in his sleep he must have turned over onto his side. He turns back the other way and expects to find Hannibal sleeping soundly beside him. When he doesn't find this, fear wraps its cold fingers around his heart.

"Hannibal!" Will throws back the covers and practically trips out of bed. He peers down the hallway leading to the other rooms of the small cabin and he tears down it, calling out, "Hannibal! Where are you?!"

"Will?" A voice calls from the last room on the right.

Will runs into the room and breathes a sigh of relief as he sees Hannibal standing at an old gas stove, frying bacon. "Oh, hello, Will. I thought it would do you well to get some food in your belly. I'm sorry that I worried you."

"That's okay," Will runs a hand down his face. "Um, that is regular bacon, right?"

"It's pig, Will. Not _long_ pig, if that's what you meant," Hannibal raises an eyebrow.

"That is," Will admits.

"Go back to bed, Will," Hannibal commands. "I'll bring your breakfast in when I'm done cooking it."

"Breakfast in bed?" Will questions; it's his turn to raise an eyebrow. "Fancy."

"Only the best for you, Will," Hannibal smiles.

Will walks back down the hallway and into the main room. He looks out the window at the falling snow. Will breathes in and out, feeling extremely relaxed; peaceful even. He heads back over to the bed and climbs in.

In a matter of minutes, Hannibal enters the room carrying a tray of food. "Here we are."

"So what have you prepared for me today, Chef Lecter?" Will teases.

"Bacon and buttered toast, with a batch of especially difficult-to-make..." Hannibal waits for dramatic effect. He places the tray of food on Will's lap and finally finishes his sentence: " _Scrambled eggs_."

"What a spread," Will jokes.

"I would've made a different array of food if Chiyoh had gotten a different array of supplies," Hannibal mutters.

"We're lucky that she's helped us as much as she has, Hannibal," Will replies. "I don't know what would've happened if she hadn't helped us."

"We probably would've lost each other," Hannibal says softly, sadness in his eyes.

"I can't bare to think of that," Will shakes his head. "So, I shall eat this food instead of that. Thank-you."

"Of course," Hannibal nods, smiling at his Will.

"This is odd," Will says, taking a bite of bacon.

"What is?" Hannibal asks. "The bacon? I have no clue what brand Chiyoh got, but-"

"No," Will laughs. "This. Breakfast in bed from Hannibal Lecter. It's so... domestic."

"It is, isn't it?" Hannibal agrees. "Is it a good odd?"

"I always think odd is," Will shrugs. He sits there a minute. "Why can't we stay here?"

"What?"

"Stay here. It's so peaceful and it's nice just being alone with you; no one else," Will explains. "You're enough for me."

"You're the only person I need, too, Will, but we do need to get out of here soon," Hannibal replies. "We'll run out of supplies and we can't just run over to the nearest supermarket whenever we want. We need to get out of the country. I'm an escaped convict as well as a mental patient and you're my accomplice in another murder that we committed after you helped me escape. Jack is going to be looking any and everywhere to find us."

"Where are we going to go?" Will asks.

"Chiyoh left plane tickets over there. I'll check later."

"Alright," Will says. "It's just... it's nice here."

Hannibal nods. "It is. It _really_ is."

Will looks at Hannibal and a feeling of genuine happiness washes over him. The fact that he gets to be with this man makes him so, so happy. He had never been happy before; content, maybe. Never happy. He'd been content when he was with his dogs-

"My dogs!" Will shouts and gasps, pulling a piece of toast down into his windpipe as he does so. He coughs, bangs a fist on his chest, and hacks up the piece, spitting it on the tray. "I am so sorry you had to see that."

Hannibal simply smiles. "I must really love you because that didn't even disgust me."

"Well, thanks," Will replies. "Anyway, what's going to happen to my dogs?!"

"I'm not exactly sure," Hannibal admits. "Alana would definitely take them, maybe Jack."

"Price or Zeller _better_ not get them," Will says, continuing to consume the toast. "I will turn myself in if that happens."

"I would not blame you," Hannibal laughs, shaking his head. "Finished?"

Will nods and hands Hannibal his plate. "Thank-you very much, Hannibal."

"Of course." Hannibal heads down the hallway to wash the dishes and Will lies back in bed.

Will takes off his shirt and examines the wound on his chest. It still looks pretty bad. Damn that Dolarhyde, keeping him from having sex with Hannibal. As soon as he was healed, Will would be raring to go.

However, he hoped that Hannibal would initiate the activity. Will had never slept with a man before and with Hannibal, he wanted it to be amazing. He knew that every person was different when it came to sex and that everyone's bodies were different, but in this case, Hannibal's body was very different than the people he usually had sex with; women. He obviously knew where everything went, but it was just intimidating and he wanted it to be incredible when the two finally did have sex.

As if he sensed what Will had been thinking about somehow, as Hannibal comes back into the room, he asks, "May I check your bandage? Oh, you already have your shirt off. That's convenient."

Will blushes. "I was checking my wound. I think it looks fine."

"Still."

Hannibal examines the bandage over the wound and shakes his head. "It needs to be changed."

He walks over to the table with Chiyoh's supplies resting on it and digs through the bags. He mutters things to himself that Will can't understand and Will thinks it is absolutely adorable. "Here."

Hannibal crosses back over to Will and sits on the bed with him. He gently removes the old bandage from Will's chest and Will winces.

"Did that hurt?" Hannibal asks.

"A little," Will shrugs.

"I'm sorry," Hannibal says.

"It's fine. You've hurt me more than that in the past," Will jokes.

Hannibal looks at the jagged scar on Will's abdomen. His eyes fill with pain and remorse at the sight.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just joking, or, I was trying to-"

"But you're completely right," Hannibal admits, staring anywhere but at Will. "I am _so_ sorry, Will."

"I've forgiven you for that, Hannibal; please forgive yourself," Will pleads.

"How can I?" Hannibal questions, still not looking at Will. "I carved up your beautiful body; that is something I cannot and never will forgive myself for."

Will grabs Hannibal's hand and squeezes it tightly. "Look at me, Hannibal. Everything that has happened between us has been leading to this. I wouldn't change anything, okay?"

Hannibal looks up into Will's eyes and a sad smile forms on his lips. "I'm very lucky."

"Why?"

"I get to be with you."

"I think we're both pretty lucky, I'd say."

"I think we'd be luckier if we hadn't been shot and stabbed by the Tooth Fairy," Hannibal mutters, and rips off a new piece of bandage for Will's wound. He redresses it with only a few murmurs of pain from Will. "There we are."

"How's yours?" Will asks.

"I was indeed lucky," Hannibal replies. "The bullet went right through me, so it was a pretty clean wound. It's healing nicely."

"Good, I'm glad," Will smiles.

Hannibal looks at Will, just looks for a good while.

"What?"

"You're so attractive."

Will blushes once more. "Oh, th-thank-you. You're not so bad yourself, Hannibal."

"'Not so bad'?" Hannibal questions. "That's what every man wants to hear."

"You know what I mean!" Will laughs.

Hannibal smiles. "I do."

The two simply look at each other, admiring the beauty of one other. That is, until Hannibal places his hand on the side of Will's face and brings it close to his own. Their lips are so close to each other, they can feel each other's breath.

"I love you, Will."

"I love you, too, Hannibal."

Will's heart is beating so loudly, it's all he can hear, and it stops when he feels Hannibal's lips connect with his.

The world stops. The first time this had happened was when he had killed Francis Dolarhyde, but that was different.

Now, it was so much _better_. Plus, the fact that he was sharing that feeling with another person was indescribable.

Finally feeling Hannibal's lips against his feels so right. It feels as if this was always supposed to happen and Will believes it. It feels as if everything in his life was leading to this and he is so glad that it has lead him here.

His senses are incredibly heightened; he's so aware of every aspect of the man he was kissing. The sound of Hannibal's breathing, the feel of it against his skin, the amazing smell of the man. Everything is so multiplied now.

The way Hannibal's lips caress his own makes his toes curl. They are so soft and warm against his lips and Hannibal's breath in his mouth is so sweet and satisfying. Hannibal wraps his arms around Will's waist, pulling him against his chest and Will runs his hands through Hannibal's hair. Hannibal sucks on Will's bottom lip and then he slips his tongue into Will's mouth, massaging Will's tongue with his. Will softly moans at the feeling of bliss that blossoms inside of him.

When they finally part, the two look deeply into each other's eyes deeply and say nothing. Nothing needs to be said.

"Wow," the two breathe out at the exact same time.

Will laughs. "Um, you are, uh, _very_ good at that."

Hannibal smiles. "You're not so bad yourself, Will."


	3. Chapter Three: Cooking

_A few days later..._

"Will? You should get up soon."

Will awakens, feeling Hannibal's hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him.

"Good morning," Will says sleepily. "What time is it?"

Hannibal looks at an old clock hanging on the wall. "It's eleven o'clock."

"Really?" Will sits up, rubbing his eyes. "I don't think I've ever slept that much. I guess I just sleep better with you."

Hannibal looks at his sleepy Will. "I'm better with you."

"Come here." Will pulls on Hannibal's arm and presses his lips softly to Hannibal's own. Will can feel Hannibal's lips curl into a small smile. Will pulls back. "What?"

"Nothing. I just immensely enjoy doing that," Hannibal replies.

It's Will's turn to smile now. "As do I. So what's on the agenda for today?"

"I thought that we could try hunting. Chiyoh didn't buy us much in the way of protein-rich food, so I thought we could obtain our own."

"I'm up for that." Will pushes back the covers and tries to stand. He winces as he feels a sharp pain in his chest.

"Are you alright?" Hannibal asks worriedly.

"Yeah," Will nods, laying back down. "My wound is just a bit tender at the moment. I might not be as up for hunting as I thought."

"That's alright," Hannibal replies. "I can hunt for the both of us. Would you still like to come with?"

"And watch you hunt?" Will asks. "Yes please."

Hannibal smirks. "That's right. You've never seen me do that. Well, except for Dollarhyde, of course."

"Not by yourself, though," Will says. "I bet you have it down to an art form."

"Something like that," Hannibal shrugs. "Care to shower?"

Will nods, and manages to stand. "Yeah, I should. I don't even know the last time I did."

"Care if I join?"

Will furrows his brow. "Well, why didn't you just shower when I was asleep? That would've made a lot more sense."

Hannibal raises his eyebrows at Will.

A switch flips on in Will's brain. "Oh. Oh! Uh, y-yes. Please d-do."

"Perfect."

Will's heart hammers away in his chest as he feels Hannibal's hands slide over his wet and slippery skin. Despite the warm water raining down on the two, Will shivers, but that might have to do with something else.

"Hello, dear Will," Hannibal whispers in his ear, sending more shivers up Will's spine.

"Hannibal," Will breaths. "This is nice."

"It is," Hannibal agrees, fingers tracing the veins on Will's muscular arms. "Your body is perfection."

Will blushes. God, he's been doing that quite a bit recently. "Thank-you. Yours is, too."

Will looks the lean doctor up and down, inspecting his toned body. "Seriously. My God."

Hannibal grins. "You should talk. You're just... delicious."

Hannibal nibbles Will's ear.

"And you mean that in an non-cannibalistic way, correct?" Will grins, running his fingers through his tangled hair.

"Yes, I do, Will," Hannibal laughs. "You don't need to worry about that."

Will leans back onto Hannibal's chest, the two's naked bodies so close.

"How are you feeling, Will?"

"Whole. Certain," Will says. "I haven't felt that way in a while. I even feel... safe."

"I'm glad you feel safe with me," Hannibal murmurs into Will's skin, his lips kissing Will's neck. "Actually, I'm just glad you're with me."

"Hannibal."

"Yes, Will?"

"Not here."

"Excuse me?"

"I don't want to have sex with you here"

Hannibal turns Will around and looks deeply into his eyes. "We will only have sex when you, and if you, want to, Will. Alright?"

Will smiles softly "Thank-you, Hannibal. I-I'm just not ready yet."

"Of course. And besides," A wide grin spreads across Hannibal's face, "you really think the first we have sex would be in a shower? Now, Will, you know I'm classier than that."

Chiyoh was kind enough to stock the dressers with clothes. Will dawns a blue plaid shirt, navy blue sweater, dark jeans, and a down jacket.

Hannibal returns from the bathroom, fresh and clean. He himself wears a red sweater and black pants.

"I've never seen you so dressed down," Will smiles. "It's... Nice. Again, so domestic."

Hannibal produces a rifle and looks at Will. "Ready?"

"Extremely."

Hannibal smirks and leads Will out the front door. The snow is gently falling and Will breathes in the crisp, mountain air. He feels more relaxed than he has been in years.

"What's first?" Will asks, shoving his hands in his pockets..

"First, we need to find the prey we're going to hunt," Hannibal explains. His voice drops to a whisper; "And we need to be very quiet."

Will nods. The two, as silently as they possibly can, walk through the forest, their feet crunching over snowy sticks and leaves. Their breath escapes them in bursts of white whisps. After about ten minutes, they see it.

A stag.

"Ironic," Will murmurs.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Hannibal kneels in the snow and looks in the scope of the rifle. He lines it up with the deer's head and BAM. The stag goes down.

"You got him!" Will exclaims.

The two head over to where the deer went down. It's still partially breathing.

"Now what?" Will asks.

Hannibal takes the still-breathing deer's head in his hands and in one swift motion, snaps the deer's neck. Will jumps.

"Then that," Hannibal says bluntly.

"Something tells me that you might have a little more experience than me in the area of cooking."

Hannibal smirks. "I think you are correct, Will."

The stag lays on the kitchen counter, previously skinned by Hannibal. It stares up at Will.

"Would you like to carve?" Hannibal offers a sharp knife to Will.

"You can do the honors," Will says.

Hannibal starts removing the meat at the back of the neck. He slices downwards, nice and slow. He then moves on to the spine, back, ribs, and eventually anything else he can skin.

"Should I remove the organs?" Hannibal questions

"It would feel odd if you didn't," Will grins.

Hannibal shrugs. "Fair point."

Hannibal slices open the belly of the deer. Delicately, he reaches inside and holds the grape-fruit-sized heart. He takes a thinner knife from the knife block sitting on the counter and cuts the connective tissue anchoring it inside the beast. Hannibal proceeds to remove the rest of the organs in a similar manner. When he's finished this task, he takes out a a pan and cutting board. He removes the valves, ventricles, and everything else unneeded. He hollows it out and places it on the counter, then cuts the liver into thin strips and places them into the pan which he sets on the stove, igniting the flame as he does so.

"Could you see if Chiyoh picked up any bacon grease?" Hannibal asks.

Will gives Hannibal a quizzical look. "Isn't that not really your style?"

"I'm making do; maybe even adapting," Hannibal explains.

Will walks over to the bag Chiyoh brought them and rummages through it, pushing tubs of macaroni and cheese and bottle of water out of the way. He finds the grease. "It's here."

"How about salt, pepper, and lemons?"

"Yes."

"Great. Flour?"

"That, too."

"Bring them here, will you please?"

Will does as he is told.

"Thank-you." Hannibal takes the ingredients from Will and sets them on the counter. "Coat the heart in flour."

"Yes, sir!" Will says playfully. He empties a good-sized amount of the flour into a bowl and gently rolls the heart in the flour. "There."

"Excellent work, Will," Hannibal compliments.

Hannibal takes the organs and fries then in the pan, sprinkling in the spices. After a few minutes has passed, Hannibal tips the pan and slides the meat onto two plates.

"Do you want the liver or heart?" Hannibal asks.

"I'll do the liver. I've never had heart; you have," Will smirks.

Hannibal laughs. "I have. This is a bit different than the meat I am used to."

Hannibal sprinkles salt on the liver and squeezes a lime over it. He sprinkels salt and pepper over the heart and takes both plates in his hands. He walks over to the rickety table and sets down the plates. Hannibal pulls out a wooden chair for Will and he sits down in it. Hannibal pulls out his own chair and sits.

"We're having dinner," Will smiles, his heart full.

"We are," Hannibal nods, a smile lighting up his face.

"This is so odd," Will says, looking down at his plate.

"It's a pretty standard for liver," Hannibal furrows his brow. "Just salt and-"

"No," Will shakes his head, laughing. "This. Sitting down and eating dinner like we're a civilized, conventional couple."

"We're _neither_ of those things, Will," Hannibal retorts.

The two have dinner, eating their meals. They talk about everything and they talk about nothing, just enjoying each other's company, all smiles.

Everything is right.

 _Hours later..._

Hannibal decides to do the dishes.

"Is there even dish soap?" Will questions. "We can just leave the dishes for later."

"But then it'll be... Unclean."

"And that bothers you?" Will raises an eyebrow.

"Very," Hannibal smiles.

Will smiles back at Hannibal, big and wide. He is honestly so happy right now, just doing something as simple and conventional as joking about the dishes. Never in his life has he never felt more at peace, more right than he does at this very moment.

He's ecstatic. And it's all because of Hannibal.

Will suddenly puts a hand on Hannibal's arm and grabs Hannibal's face with his other hand. Will pulls him close, so close he can see the amber flecks in Hannibal's eyes. Will swears that he can hear the racing heartbeat of the other man, but that might just be his own erratic pulse. He rubs his thumb over those incredibly high cheekbones and then over that sharp jawline. He simply stares at Hannibal. He just wants to take in every little detail of this man that he possibly can.

"Are you looking for something?" Hannibal questions, eyebrow cocked.

"No," Will shakes his head. "I'm just taking everything in. Every little thing of you I can. I mean, if I lost you-"

"You won't," Hannibal persists. "You couldn't." Hannibal grins. "Even if you tried."

Will looks down at the floor. "It's just, I-I've never been this happy before in my life. If I l-lost that, I don't know what I'd do."

"You don't have to worry about that, Will," Hannibal tries to reassure. "You won't lose me."

Will says nothing.

Hannibal takes Will's hand and places it on his chest. Will looks up at his hand on the other man's chest. He can feel the strong, steady beats of Hannibal's heart under his fingers.

"Do you feel that?" Hannibal asks.

"Your heartbeat? Of course." Will nods.

"As long as my heart is beating, it will be yours."

Hannibal hooks his finger under Will's chin and raises his face to meet Hannibal's own. "Forever, Will."

Will feels an overwhelming feeling of happiness and love for the man standing before him. His heart has never felt so full.

"Now, be happy please? I don't like when you're sad," Hannibal says with sincerity.

"I'm not sad," Will smiles. "How could I be after that little speech there?"

Hannibal laughs and it sends another wave of happiness over Will.

The two look at each other for a few seconds before Hannibal wraps his arms around Will's torso and hoists him up onto the kitchen counter.

"Oh, did I just put you down in flour?"

"I wouldn't give a fuck if you did."

Will practically rams his lips onto Hannibal's, wanting nothing more than to be with this man.

Never seeming to be able to kiss Hannibal enough is a serious problem for Will.

Will runs his fingers through his soft hair as Hannibal runs his hands all over Will's body; legs, arms, back. Their lips never leave the other's. Will runs his tongue over Hannibal's bottom lip and in retaliation Hannibal bites down on the soft tongue. Their tongues explore the other's mouth, as far back as humanely possible. Hannibal pushes himself in between Will's legs and presses him back against the cabinets behind them. Will's toes curl as Hannibal moves his lips from Will's lips to his neck. Littering his neck and clavicle with rough, wet kisses makes Will moan out in pleasure.

"I want you," Will breathlessly whispers in Hannibal's ear.

"Now?" Hannibal breaths onto Will's neck.

"Right now."


	4. Chapter Four: Loving

"Are you sure that you're ready?"

Will nods. "Yes. I've never _been_ so sure of something."

Hannibal takes Will's hands in his own. "I'm glad." He kisses Will's hand and Will feels red-hot heat rise in his cheeks. "It will different than you're used to."

"I know."

" _Very_ different."

Will raises an eyebrow. "What; are you trying to talk me out of it?"

"Of course not," Hannibal shakes his head. "I just want you to be prepared."

"I am," Will says, slightly standing on his tip-toes to whisper this in Hannibal's ear; "I've been waiting a long time for this."

"Much too long," Hannibal nods.

Hannibal lifts Will's sweater up and over his head, throwing it across the room. Will does the same for Hannibal's sweater, throwing it to the ground. Black pants and a white t-shirt are the only things Hannibal wears now. That is, until Hannibal slides them down around his ankles, stepping out of them and kicking them entirely off. Will follows suit, removing them and kicking them to the side.

Hannibal moves into Will and crashes his soft lips onto Will's slightly chapped ones. Hannibal unbuttons Will's flannel furiously with his long, delicate fingers, never not tasting Will's warm, wet mouth as he does so. When he gets to the final button, Will rips it off, the last button flying across the room. He throws off the flannel and strips anything else he has on off.

The two are finally down to nothing but their boxers. Hannibal puts his thumbs inside his boxers and slips down them down, finally revealing his large cock. Will reciprocates by removing his own boxers and showing his own member, blushing slightly.

"Will?" Hannibal questions, gently stroking Will's face. "Is something wrong?"

"I-I've just never done this part b-before with a-a man," Will shrugs shyly. "Well, anything l-like this with a man. This is all s-so new. And I-I want it to be perfect."

"It will be," Hannibal coos. "How could it be anything but perfect when it's with you?"

Will smiles and kisses Hannibal, deep and warm. He thinks of how _beautiful_ Hannibal looks right now, in this very moment. The way the moonlight shines upon his hair and lights up his eyes is breathtaking. Will couldn't be happier and more content. "It _will_ be perfect."

"Well, then what are we waiting for?" Hannibal smirks.

Hannibal pushes Will onto the extremely uncomfortable bed, but Will does not care about the mattress at the moment. Hannibal crawls on top of Will and runs his hands all over the younger man's body. He feels every inch of the exposed, soft flesh as Hannibal presses his lips onto Will's. Will slips his tongue into Hannibal's mouth, rubbing Hannibal's wet tongue with his own. Hannibal bites down and Will slides his tongue back through the teeth.

He continues giving Will deep, wet kisses and then moves from Will's lips to his neck. Will doesn't know what it was about that spot, but it sends shivers up his spine and leaves him breathless. Will pants, trying to catch his breath. Will runs his fingers through Hannibal's soft hair and grabs fistfuls in his hands, feeling his length hardening with every kiss littering his skin.

Hannibal moves from Will's neck down to his chest, trailing his body with kisses. When he comes to Will's nipples, he makes small, circular motions over them with his tongue. Will closes his eyes, pleasure spreading throughout his chest and the rest of his body. After a while, Hannibal moves onto Will's stomach, the hard muscles in his abdomen clenching under Hannibal's wet lips. Will knows what comes next after stomach kisses.

Hannibal's lips linger over Will's cock, his breath against it. Will grabs a fistful of the thin comforter and holds tight. Hannibal takes Will's member in his mouth and wraps his lips around it. He massages the head with his tongue, causing Will to let out a low moan and his thighs to shake. A layer of sweat settles over his skin as he feels an incredible pressure building in his stomach. Will suddenly feels it's hard to breathe and his heart thumping against his rib cage.

As Hannibal circles the head with tongue, he moves hip lips over it, bobbing his head up and down on Will. Will grabs Hannibal's hand, gripping it as tight as he can. Will digs his nails into Hannibal's back, his vision blurring as the intense feeling in his core increases. Hannibal speeds up his motion and Will moans louder, his muscles clenching tighter.

The pressure builds and builds and builds until Will can't take it anymore, and he comes in Hannibal's mouth. A feeling of absolute bliss erupts inside of Will, his mouth gaping open and gasping. Hannibal swallows Will's come, Will's length moving deeper towards the back of his throat, the motion making Will struggle for air.

Hannibal removes himself from Will and looks up at him. He sees Will, muscular chest heaving, eyes shut tight, hands clenching sheets and Hannibal's own hand. Hannibal smiles, seeing as how amazing he's made Will feel.

Will's eyes open and his breathing slows down to a more normal rate. He looks at Hannibal and asks, "What? That's it?"

" _Hardly,"_ Hannibal laughs, his voice husky and deep.

Hannibal flips Will over and pulls Will up towards himself by his waist, his strong hands gripping Will's stomach. Will prepares himself for what he knows is next.

Hannibal rocks his hips forward, easily pushing himself inside of Will. Will gasps and cries aloud in pleasure as he feels Hannibal's length plunging deeper and deeper into him. His cock slides deep into Will and Will's eyes roll back in his head, not able to control himself. A feeling of euphoria erupts inside of Will, nothing else seeming to matter. His mind goes blank and every single thought in Will's head disappears; that is except for one: _Hannibal._

Hannibal pulls out and thrusts his cock back inside repeatedly, making Will pant. The two rock into each other, their bodies completely in sync. Will feels Hannibal's breath coming in short gasps on his neck. Tremors ripple through Will's body and he shakes, his heart pounding. Will screams out Hannibal's name, turning the older man on even more and in turn, making him speed up his rhythm. Will bites his lip to stop from screaming Hannibal's name again; he didn't want the man to pride himself too much.

Will comes again when he can no longer contain himself and fireworks go off in his brain. They're somewhat similar to the ones that went off in his head when he killed Dollarhyde, but these are so much more intense, so much _better_. And to be sharing them with Hannibal? It's amazing. Being so connected with Hannibal on such an intimate level is indescribable.

Hannibal begins to shake and WIll can tell he's done all he physically can. Will drops down on his stomach and rolls onto his back, Hannibal following suit. The two lie there, chest both heaving and completely out of breath.

When Will has somewhat caught his breath, he looks over at Hannibal who is still panting, eyes closed. Will's takes Hannibal's hand in his and presses his lips to it.

Hannibal opens his eyes and looks at Will.

"Well?" Hannibal asks.

"Well, what?" Will smirks.

"Shut up," Hannibal rolls his eyes but smiles.

Will laughs. "Hey, that was rude!"

"I'm allowed."

"It was alright."

Hannibal scoffs. "Alright? That's it?"

Will grins. "I'm kidding." Will's smile softens to a genuine one. "It was _incredible_ , Hannibal. It was the best I've ever had."

"Really?" Hannibal asks.

Will pulls Hannibal close and kisses him, lips still wet. He looks at Hannibal. "Really."

Hannibal looks at Will again, just looks. Looks at _his_ Will. "I love you, Will."

"I love you, too, Hannibal," Will squeezes the hand in his.

"So much."

"So much. Oh, by the way, next time, I'll be the, uh, guy in back."

"Okay, Will. And yes, that's the term for it," Hannibal says sarcastically, laughing.

The two climb underneath the covers and lie in each other's arms, exhausted but happy. The happiest they've ever been. Hannibal pulls Will as close as he can, needing to feel Will's warm body against his own. Will lies his head on Hannibal's chest and sighs, content. Hannibal places a gentle kiss into Will's mess of curls and smiles.

Hannibal _finally_ has him. Will Graham.


	5. Chapter Five: Leaving

Will wakes up, after apparently falling asleep. He looks out the window and sees the softly drifting snow outside fall steadily towards the forest floor. He stretches his arms and turns, seeing a beautiful sight laid out before him.

Hannibal lies beside him, his chest softly rising and falling with every breath he takes. His hair is in a mess, not a single hair where it should be. An imprint of the quilt is prevalent on his cheek.

Will's heart swells with love for this man, his man. He finally has someone to call his own.

Will slides over close to Hannibal and prays he doesn't wake him. His prayer falls on deaf ears as Hannibal stirs, opening his eyes and yawning.

"I didn't mean to wake you," Will says regretfully.

Hannibal wraps his arms around Will's waist and pulls him even closer. He plants his lips on Will's and Will melts into it. He parts from Will's lips. "I don't mind that you did."

Will lays his head on Hannibal's strong chest, Hannibal stroking Will's hair. Will listens to the loud, echoing beats of Hannibal's heart. Will makes little circles over his chest.

"I love listening to your heartbeat," Will sighs.

"You do?" Hannibal asks.

"Yeah," Will nods. "It makes me feel so safe, so reassured. It's nice to have that; it makes me feel grounded. It's kind of like the clock exercise but it doesn't mess me up further."

"I apologize for that," Hannibal murmurs.

"Don't. It just makes me appreciate what does keep me in the moment now. Like you."

Will raises his head up and looks into Hannibal's eyes. He places a hand on the side of Hannibal's face and caresses it ever so gently, his thumb grazing one of those high cheekbones he loves so much.

Hannibal grabs Will's hand with his and squeezes it tightly. Hannibal looks into Will's eyes, wanting nothing more than to hold this man in his arms for all eternity.

"You're my everything, Will; do you know that? You're the only thing in this world that matters to me. I need you."

"And you have me," Will coos. "Forever. I wish we could stay here forever."

"As do I," Hannibal agrees, smiling. The smile drops and he sighs. "But, we should leave soon."

Will holds Hannibal closer. "I know. Do we have to leave today?"

"Yes," Hannibal says. "As much as I don't want too we do need to leave. Jack is probably already on our trail and extremely eager to find us."

"It's just it's been amazing being with you here," Will replies. "I don't want that to end. What if something goes wrong and we get-"

"Caught?" Hannibal interjects. "We won't."

"But what if we do?"

"We won't be caught," Hannibal repeats. "The only reason I was caught was because I gave myself up. I had nothing left when said you were done with me, so I surrendered. I don't intend to be caught again."

"Hannibal, when I said that I didn't want to think about you anymore and everything, I didn't mean that," Will bites his lip. "Any of it. I was scared and I didn't want to admit the truth of my feelings for you. I didn't mean to hurt you. That's the last thing I want to do. I'm so sorry."

"I know you didn't mean to, and an apology is not why I brought it up," Hannibal says. "I don't care about that; all I care about is you. And besides, it's not like I haven't hurt you before."

"We've both hurt each other in the past," Will admits. "That's over now."

Hannibal kisses Will's forehead (he loves when Hannibal does that) one last time before he rolls out of bed. He looks at Will still lying in bed and raises an eyebrow.

"Are you planning on getting up any time soon?" Hannibal questions.

"I suppose I can," Will shrugs, pushing back the covers. "Where are we going, anyway?'

"Turkey," Hannibal replies. "Chiyoh bought us plane tickets and purchased a small apartment for us in Mardin. It's not much, but it's ours."

"Ours," Will tastes the word. "I love that."

"I love you," Hannibal says looking at his Will, meaning those three little words with all of his heart. Hannibal never thought that he would be able to say those words and actually mean them, actually feel them. But with Will? He truly does.

"I love you, too," Will says. "And I love saying that."

"And as much as I would love to stay and lay here with you all day, we should leave soon," Hannibal hints at Will , who still lies in bed.

"I can take a hint," Will retorts playfully, finally exiting the bed. "So do we wear disguises or something? I mean, how does this even work?"

"Besides baseball caps and sweatshirts, no, but we do have new identities. You are..." Hannibal reaches into one of the bags Chiyoh left on the table and produces two passports. He hands one to Will and looks at his own. "Hector Jackson and I am Samuel Jackson."

"Like the guy who plays Nick Fury?"

"Probably a different one."

"How'd you get these?" Will asks.

"Chiyoh killed the Jackson's to get them."

"I see. And we have all the papers and everything?"

"Everything is squared away."

"Are you sure?"

Hannibal smiles. "Will, everything is fine. We have our passports, tickets, new identities, we have our attire; we have everything we need. Everything will be fine."

"I'm just thinking about every little thing that can go wrong," Will admits. "And how many wrong paths we could take that would lead to losing each other."

"I won't let that happen, Will," Hannibal reassures.

"You keep saying that, but how do you know that everything will work out?" Will asks. "What if it doesn't?"

Hannibal sighs, walks over to Will, and envelopes him in his strong arms. Will nuzzles his face into Hannibal's shoulder. Hannibal strokes Will's unruly hair gently, reassuringly. "I will end anyone who tries to tear us apart, Will. You're safe with me."

"I feel safe with you," Will replies, gazing into those amber eyes he adores. "More than I've ever felt before." Will smiles. "Alright, I feel better. "

Hannibal smiles back. "Good, I'm glad. Now, shall we go?"

Chiyoh had driven an old car out to the cabin and left it there for Will and Hannibal to take to the airport. After about a two and a half hours drive, they arrive at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, the closest airport to the cabin. They grab their bags from the jalopy Hannibal had driven and enter the airport, keeping their heads down. The go through security thankfully without a hitch. Well, almost without a hitch.

There is almost a slip-up threatening to expose the two when Will can't find his passport, but the crisis is averted. The older security woman eyeballs the pair with a look of slight disdain, but nonetheless lets them take their time looking for the passport in various bags. Will finally finds it and holds it up for the elderly woman, quite proudly.

"Finally find it, did ya'?" the woman asks sourly, glaring at Will.

"Yes, he did!" Hannibal interjects, speaking in a very bad American accent. "My husband would forget his head if it wasn't attached to his shoulders!"

She raises an eyebrow at him, but rolls her eyebrows at the two and waves them through.

When the two are seated in the slightly uncomfortable chairs at their gate, they both exhale.

"The hardest part should be over now," Hannibal hopes, rubbing a hand down his face.

"Good; that could've been bad," Will says sheepishly. "I'm sorry for the passport business."

"It's alright," Hannibal replies. "No harm done."

Will says nothing for a minute, still feeling a little badly about the passport, but he bursts out laughing. Hannibal gives him a quizzical look. "Will? What's so funny?"

"What was that accent?" Will says, wiping tears from his eyes.

Hannibal smiles, shrugging. "I'm not really sure. It just came out."

"It was like a Texan trying to sound like a California Valley girl!" Will laughs. "I am really glad I got to hear that. I am not going to let you live that down!"

"I don't blame you," Hannibal smirks.

"Are Samuel and Hector married?" Will's voice drop to a whisper.

"What?"

"Are we married?"

"Oh, yes, Samuel and Hector are married. They do have the same last name, Will."

Will gives Hannibal a look. "Well, I know that. I thought they were brothers or something. So we're married?"

"Technically, yes."

"...I like that. Do you?"

Hannibal smiles. "I do."

Will beams and plants a sweet, gentle kiss on Hannibal's lips.

The two sit there, waiting for their plane and also waiting to start their new life together, both men content and happy.

Jack Crawford gets the call at two o'clock on a Thursday. He doesn't expect it in the slightest.

He hears his phone, groans and reaches for it, putting down the bagel smeared with cream cheese he had been trying to eat.

"Jack Crawford, FBI."

"Yes, hello. My name is Susan Kennedy." Jack can tell the small, soft voice it is an elderly woman speaking on the other end. "I'd like to report a possible sighting of two criminals."

Oh yeah? Jack thinks. Who? An antagonistic mailman and a neighbor who keeps stealing your paper?

"And what criminals would those be?" Jack asks, tiredness in his voice. He rolls his eyes and takes a sip of his lukewarm coffee.

"Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham."

Jack spits out the coffee all over his desk and computer. "Shit!" He wipes of the PC with his sleeve.

"Excuse me, sir?" the old woman asks, a little shocked at Jack's profanity.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," Jack apologizes. "I just spit coffee all over everywhere. Where did you last see them?"

"Well, I am work security at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and I saw two men who fit the description come through. I didn't see their faces very well, but I remember them pretty well. One was around five-eleven and the other was around six foot tall. The one I believe is Lecter had grayish-blonde hair and the other that must be Mr. Graham had dark brown curls. They were wearing baseball caps and sweatshirts which must've been for a disguise."

"Do you remember where they were headed?" Jack asks, grabbing a pen and pad.

"It was... Turkey. Mardin, Turkey! I remember thinking that two Americans were heading there; it's not a very vaction-y place to go."

"Two Americans?" Jack asks. "Lecter is Lithuanina."

"Really?" The woman questions. "Well, he used an American accent when he spoke. It was a very bad one at that, though..."

"When was this that you saw the two?"

"It was two days ago. I just saw the news about that Dolarhyde man and the Tooth Fairy business. Dreadful thing."

"Well, thank-you very much, ma'am," Jack replies. "You've been a huge help."

"I hope you find them."

Me too... Jack thinks.

He hangs up the phone and runs out of his office, making his way down to the morgue. He sees through the glass surrounding one of the morgue rooms that Jimmy Price and Bryan Zeller are inspecting a bloated body on one of metal slabs that the place boasts.

"Jeez, what did this guy eat?" Jack hears Zeller ask.

"Maybe one too many hot dogs?" Price jokes. "I know I got bloated when I was in a hot dog eating contest.

"What?!" Zeller asks incredulously. "You were in a hot dog eating contest?"

"I wasn't just in one; I won it!"

Jack comes into the room and yells, "Shut up, you two!"

The two jump and stand up as straight as they can.

"Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter were just spotted," Jack announces.

"What?" Price questions.

"What are you, deaf? They were spotted at a Maryland airport two days ago," Jack huffs. "You two are coming with me."

Jack turns to leave and Zeller pipes up, "To do what?"

"Get them."


	6. Chapter Six: Tracking

"Wait, what?" Zeller asks again, hurrying to keep up with Jack, who is barreling down the hallway, Price in tow. "Why are we going with?"

"You're the only ones left here who personally knew Graham and Lecter," Jack explains. "I need you there to pick up any details other agents might miss."

"Do you really think that Will and-"

"Graham."

"Uh, right," Price furrows his brow. "Do you really think that Graham and Lecter were there?"

"I don't know for certain, but the woman who saw them described the sighting to me and it was pretty accurate," Jack explains. "I don't know if it was for sure them, but I'm not passing this up; a chance to catch them."

Zeller whispers to Price, "Why is he calling them Graham and Lecter?"

"I think he doesn't want to remember that he was once friends with them," Price says. "One secret killer working with the FBI is one thing; two is another thing entirely."

"You two are terrible whisperers," Jack growls, evidently having had heard their conversation.

The two crime scene investigators awkwardly laugh and go silent.

When they arrive at the airport, Jack heads straight for the gate Hannibal and Will were at a few days prior to their arrival. Price and Zeller follow close behind Jack, who are followed by FBI agent Michelle Webber.

Jack heads for security and finds the only elderly woman working there. Yes, it might be rude to assume that because she is old, she is the woman who called, but Jack does not have time for pleasantries.

"Are you Susan Kennedy?" Jack asks when he sees her. She stands at the passport checking station.

"Why, yes, I am," the woman nods. "How may I help you all?"

"My name is Jack Crawford." Jack shows his credentials to the woman. "You made a call about seeing Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham here a few days ago?" Jack asks.

Susan visibly shivers. "Yes, I did. I just saw on the news over there-" She points to a nearby television set, "-about the escape of those two. I had no idea! I didn't really follow the story all those years ago about that Lecter man."

"Do you have the security tapes from that day?"

Susan jabs her thumb behind her at a small room. The door is open and Jack sees small television lining the wall. "Mitch in there can help you with those."

Jack nods. "Thank-you, ma'am." He enters the room and Price, Zeller, and Webber stays outside.

"So, what's the deal with Jack and those fugitives?" Webber questions when Jack is out of earshot. "I just transferred from Tallahassee; he worked with them? They kept Mr. Crawford out the press."

Price nods. "Yeah, we all worked with them. It was a shock when we found out what Hannibal was."

"It kind of made sense when we found out what happened with Will," Zeller says. "I mean, he was always a nice enough guy, grumpy sometimes, but he was always a bit off."

"It make sense when we found out?!" Price retorts, rolling his eyes. "Do not tell me you knew Will was going to break Hannibal Lecter out of prison, murder the Tooth Fairy, and run away with Hannibal! That is crap, sir!"

"Well, I meant that-"

"I know what you meant! You meant to look smart in front of the pretty FBI agent!"

"The pretty FBI agent has a name, thank-you very much," Webber crosses her arms over her chest. "And I'm a lot more than pretty, Price."

Price blushes and looks at the floor. "Sorry, Miss Webber."

"It's Agent Webber."

"Yes, so sorry!"

"Graham and Lecter were definitely here," Jack announces as he walks towards the agents. "They got on a plane to Istanbul. They're not going to stay there, but, that's the best lead we have. I guess I didn't really need you, Price and Zeller. Webber, you ready to go hunt down some killers?"

Webber nods enthusiastically. "Definitely!"

"You two," Jack points at Price and Zeller, "do whatever it is that you two do."

Price salutes Jack. "We will get out of your hair! And...take the rest of the day off?"

"Sure, whatever!" Jack flips a hand dismissively at the pair. "We've gotta' go catch them!"

Jack storms off, Webber trotting behind.

Zeller and Price high-five. "Nice work with the day off."

Price shrugs. "I do what I can."

Will wakes up to the smell of cooking. He pushes back the plush, cream-colored comforter and rubs the sleep out of his eyes. He exits the four-poster bed and walks out into the sun-soaked living room of the small apartment Hannibal and he had been living in for about two and a half weeks now. It's filled with dark oak furniture and a crackling fireplace. It's a beautiful space.

"I still can't believe that you think this 'isn't much'," Will gestures to their home, walking past the living room and into the bright kitchen where he finds Hannibal sauteing something in a frying pan. "This place is great."

"Chiyoh told me it was nothing much ," Hannibal says, giving Will a "good morning" kiss. "I now see that she was wrong. What would you like to eat today?"

Will peeks inside the pan and inhales the delicious smell emitting from it. "Whatever that is."

"I think you know what this is, Will," Hannibal smirks. "Sit. I'll bring it to you when it's ready, Love." Hannibal stops cooking and looks at Will. "Is that alright if I call you that?"

Will is beaming at Hannibal. "It's wonderful."

Hannibal smiles back at his love. "Well, then I shall say it often."

"Please do," Will says, strolling over to the window and looking outside. He surveys the rustic buildings and cobblestone streets that surround their humble home. The rising sun is just finishing up, ready to light the town.

"This is just perfect," Will breathes. "You, me, our own little piece of paradise. God, it really could not get any better."

"Careful, Will," Hannibal retorts, sliding the mystery meat onto a plate and setting it down on the table. "You don't want to curse us, now do you?"

"No, I do not," Will agrees, sitting down at the table. "Okay, I know this has to be human, but who is it? Do I know them?"

"You know that man a few doors down who beat his girlfriend two days ago?"

"I believe so. Adam, right?"

"Yes. Let's just say he was very rude."

Will grins. "I love you."

Hannibal smiles softly back. "I love you, too, Will. Dig in."

"Before I do that, what does it actually taste like?" Will questions.

"Well, artist Tobias Schneebaum, who won a fellowship and lived with the cannibalistic tribe Arakmbut in Peru, consumed human flesh and reported it tasted like pork. Personally, I think it has more the consistency of beef and just a bit sweeter." Hannibal gestures to the meal before him. "Taste for yourself and see."

Will picks up his fork and cuts a little piece off of the meat. He looks at it and shrugs. "Why not?" Will puts it in his mouth and chews. A delightfully sweet, beefy-type taste fills his mouth.

He swallows. "Wow. That is amazing!"

"You like it?"

"I love it!" Will nods enthusiastically. He practically shovels the food into his mouth. "I completely understand why you've been eating this all these years!"

"It's not just about the taste. It's about having control and power as much as it is about eating them."

"How so?"

"When you take a life, you are controlling what happens to that person. You choose to end their life and decide their fate. When I was younger and before I started killing I hadn't had much power over what happened in my life. But after? I had immense amounts of control."

Will absent-mindedly pushes a piece of Adam around his plate with his fork. "Hannibal?"

"Yes?"

"What was your childhood like?"

Hannibal furrows his brow. "Why do you want to know?"

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize. I just want to know why you are curious suddenly?"

Will shrugs and looks down at his hands in his lap. "It's just, I don't know much about your past. I mean, not the killings you did in Florence all those years ago or anything like that. I don't know anything about your family. You don't have to tell me, though, if you don't want to. I understand if you don't feel comfortable telling me."

"Oh, dear Will," Hannibal puts down his fork and takes Will's hand in both of his. "I have never felt more comfortable with someone as I do with you; I couldn't feel more at peace with anyone else. You are the only person that has ever truly seen me and accepted me for everything that I am. You are everything to me and nothing that could ever happen would change that; I would give my life for you and not have to think twice about it. I am entirely committed to you and to making you as happy as you can possibly be. You've endured so much hardship in your life; you deserve to be with someone who makes you the happiest man in the world. If what you desire is for me to tell you about childhood, that is what I'll do. I will do whatever it takes to make you happy, Will. I love you so much and will use every single day we have together to show you just how much you mean to me."

Will looks at Hannibal, just stares at this man. This man, who tears people apart for sport, has just uttered the most beautiful words Will has ever heard. Will feels his heart swell with love and adoration for the man sitting before him and he turns away from Hannibal as he feels tears clustering in his eyes.

"What is it, Will?" Hannibal asks, worriedly. "Did I say something wrong?"

Will turns back around to face Hannibal, looking deeply into those amber eyes he adores so much. "No. You said everything right."

"Will, you're-"

"-Crying," Will finishes. "I know; sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" Hannibal asks.

"I don't know; I mean, isn't crying seen as a sign of weakness?"

"I don't think it is," Hannibal replies. "I always liked that phrase that says something like people cry when they've been strong for too long. I definitely think that fits for you."

Will laughs, fresh tears rolling down his cheeks. "That must be it."

Hannibal places his hands on the side of Will's face. He gently wipes the tears away from Will's cheeks with his thumbs and smiles. "I know that's it."

Will nuzzles his head into Hannibal's chest and sobs, years of stress and agony pouring out of him. Hannibal wraps his arms around Will and rubs his back, letting him do whatever he needs. Hannibal presses his lips to Will's forehead and Will raises his head, sniffing.

"I honestly never thought I would find someone who could love me the way you do," Will says, wiping his nose on his shirt. "I am so God-damned lucky I found you."

"We both are pretty lucky, I'd say," Hannibal smiles at his love, adoring every little move he makes. Every single thing Will does, it makes Hannibal fall even deeper in love.

When you don't think that you're capable of falling in love, when you actually do, it is incredible.

Hannibal looks at his beautiful Will, hair lit up by the still-rising sun, eyes shining bright and clear; everything about him is absolute perfection.

"How did I get so lucky that a man with a mind as amazing as yours also happens to _look_ so amazing?" Hannibal questions.

"Oh, yeah, I'm the total package!" Will jokes, laughing.

"You are," Hannibal replies with sincerity.

The two sit there, basking in the late morning sun, looking at each other, the slices of Adam cooling with every passing minute.

When he can't stand it any longer, Hannibal grabs Will's face in his hands and crashes his lips onto Will's. Will reciprocates by running his fingers through that soft hair he loves so much and moaning softly into that sweet mouth. Hannibal slowly stands and brings Will up with him, clambering to reattach himself to those lips.

"Care to take this to the bedroom?" Hannibal asks in between wet kisses.

"Do you even have to ask?" Will laughs.

Hannibal wraps his arms around Will's waist and picks him up, carrying him all the way into their bedroom. He pushes Will onto the bed and climbs on top of him, hands going everywhere, kisses landing anywhere he can plant them.

"H-Hannibal?" Will asks, panting as Hannibal kisses his neck; damn, that spot makes him weak.

"Yes, Love?" Hannibal replies, sucking at Will's creamy flesh.

"You don't have to be gentle."

Hannibal stops and looks up at Will. "Are you sure?"

Will nods, naughty grin spreading across his face. "Yeah, I am."

"Then, I can oblige," Hannibal growls.

Hannibal rips off Will's shirt, buttons flying everywhere. Will's heartbeat quickens and he licks his lips, not knowing what to expect from this but ready to find out. Hannibal yanks down Will's pants and throws them off to the side; they're no longer needed. Neither are his boxers.

Hannibal pins Will's hands above his head and goes right back to his neck. Hannibal kisses Will's neck, sending shivers down Will's spine as usual. He changes it up and bites down, hard, on Will's neck. Will gives a little cry.

"Is that alright?" Hannibal asks, lips leaving Will's neck and hands dropping Will's own calloused ones.

" _Fuck_ , yes."

Hannibal grins and goes back to it, lips caressing Will's neck, teeth biting into the soft flesh. Hannibal runs his hands over every inch of Will, fingers digging in and leaving bruises on his limbs and body.

Will's can't seem to catch his breath, but he does _not_ care. Will drags his fingernails down Hannibal's strong back, making long scratches down it. Will entwines his fingers in Hannibal's hair, grabbing fistfuls. Will presses himself closer to Hannibal, as close as is humanely possible. Feeling Hannibal so close to him is still so incredible, even though they've had sex numerous times by now.

Will unbuttons Hannibal's shirt and slips the tie off from around his neck. Will whispers in his ear, "Use this."

Hannibal rips the tie from Will's hands and pins his arms above his head. He fastens the tie around Will's wrists. Hannibal takes in the beautiful sight before him: Will stares up at Hannibal, eyes wild and chest heaving; he needs this. Hannibal has complete control over his Will now.

Hannibal removes his pants and boxers, tossing them aside onto the floor. Hannibal dives back into Will's neck, lips sucking and teeth biting. Will breath comes in heavy draws and he fights to catch it.

When he's finished with Will's neck, Hannibal moves onto Will's shoulder and then his muscular chest. Hannibal licks a long, line from the indentation in the middle of Will's clavicle back up his neck, making Will's toes curl and his spine tingles.

Hannibal returns to hover his lips over Will's. He whispers, practically moans, into them, "I'm going to make you come until you can't breathe."

"I already can't," Will manages out.

Hannibal smirks. "Just wait. You're mine tonight."

Will smiles up at him. "I'm always yours, Hannibal."

Hannibal hangs his head and laughs. "Will, I'm talking dirty."

"Oh!" Will exclaims. "Sorry."

"Just don't let it happen again. Or I'll have to punish you. Do you understand me?"

Will nods with sincerity. "Why, yes, sir. I do."

"That's better," Hannibal snarls.

Hannibal rams his lips back into Will's and thrusts his tongue deep inside Will's mouth. Teeth clash against each other and Will bites down on Hannibal's tongue, teeth sliding over the wet thing. Hannibal reaches behind Will and grabs his backside, squeezing the bare, firm cheeks in his hands. He's free to do as he pleases with Will in such a state.

Hannibal pushes himself off of Will and Will struggles to feel Hannibal's touch, clambering to sit up. Hannibal pushes Will on his back, grabs Will's hips with his hands, and licks his way from Will's stomach up to his chest. Will fights for breath at this and clenches his fists, feeling his length hardening.

"Stop teasing me." Will struggles to make his words audible.

Hannibal sees the want, no, _need_ Will has for him. It's _delicious_. "I can do that," Hannibal wipes off his mouth, smiling. Hannibal bends down and roughly takes Will's cock in his mouth. Will stretches his fingers and moans when he feels that wet tongue caressing his organ. Hannibal circles the tip of Will with his tongue and then sucks, seemingly trying to swallow his member. Will cries aloud, a feeling of warmth and euphoria starting in his center and soon spreading throughout his entire body. Will's hips buck upward and Will can feel the pressure building in his stomach; before he knows it, pre-cum drips from his cock and into Hannibal's mouth, who, in turn, greedily swallows every drop.

"F-Fuck, Hannibal!" Will shouts out.

Hannibal withdraws himself from Will's dick and smirks. "That's what I'm planning on doing."

Hannibal crawls back on top of Will and licks his lips, before yanking Will's hips toward him. Will angles them up, spreads his legs, and makes his asshole available for the other man. Hannibal sticks three fingers in his mouth, coating them with his saliva, and whispers, "I'm going to do something different first, alright?"

"Do whatever you want to me," Will breaths out.

Hannibal indulges this. He slides one finger into Will, then another. Soon, three fingers are inside of him, and Will writhes in pleasure, spasms racking his body. Hannibal feels the tight rings of muscle pulsing within Will and his face grows hot with want.

Hannibal manages to kiss Will and still remain inside him, but Will isn't able to do anything but breathe into Hannibal's mouth, whispering nonsense into it. Hannibal gently kisses Will, his lips softly caressing Will's; it's not rough and all-consuming as he usually is when he kisses Will. It's soft and caring, Hannibal truly caring for the delicate creature before him.

Hannibal removes his fingers and Will's eyes flutter open. "P-Please," Will sputters, desire prevalent in his voice. "Please, _H-Hannibal_.

Will saying his name is such a sensual and needy way, Hannibal feels his already half-hard cock grow ever stiffer. The two need to be together, right this second.

Will already open and ready for Hannibal, Hannibal enters Will, making Will cry aloud his love's name. Hannibal's heart races and his eyes roll back in his head at the feeling of Will's tight muscles surrounding his hard length. He feels Will pulsate around him, and Hannibal still can't believe how hot and soft Will is inside; Will feels so incredible.

Hannibal thrusts in and out and in and out of Will, each buck of his hips producing a cry from Will. Hannibal finds Will's prostate and presses down on it repeatedly, making Will explode. His come splatters onto Hannibal's abdomen and drips down his stomach. When Hannibal can't bear it anymore, the tight rings doing wonders for him, Hannibal's comes inside of Will, filling Will with the salty, warm fluid.

When the two have done all they can, they collapse on top of each other, bodies still writhing from orgasm. Hannibal rolls off of Will, removes the tie from Will's wrists, and lies beside his love. Both of their chests are heaving and their hearts threaten to burst from their chests. When they've come down from the high a bit, the two look at each other, admiring how amazing the other one is.

Hannibal tucks a stray curl behind Will's ear and rubs his thumb across Will's cheek. "You are so beautiful, Will."

Will blushes.

"You are," Hannibal insists, looking deep into Will's eyes. "I'm not just talking about your looks, either; you are a truly amazing person, who deserves to be cherished every day, just because of who you are. I only wish you could see what I see."

"I see you," Will smiles. "I wouldn't trade that view for the world."

Hannibal smiles. "I'm glad. Oh," he says, realizing something. "I never told you about my childhood."

"You don't need to-"

"I want to," Hannibal says. "I trust you." He looks up at the ceiling and exhales. "I had a relatively normal childhood, I suppose. I grew up in Lithuania with my father, mother, and sister. My sister, Mischa, and I were close. We often played together, playing imagination games and tag. It was good for a few years. Until, I lost my entire family. My mother and father because of a deadly war and Mischa... She was killed."

"I'm so sorry," Will says, sliding closer to Hannibal.

"It's alright," Hannibal replies "I've had time to adjust."

"Still, with no family? It must've been so lonely."

"It was. But now I have you."

Hannibal kisses Will, deep and sweet, never wanting to leave this man's side and not planning on it.

Unfortunately for them, Jack Crawford has other plans.


	7. Chapter Seven: Killing

Will walks back into the small apartment, a ball of anger forming in his gut. The nerve of that nasty man. He slams the door behind him, rage fueling the action, and he instantly regrets it; Hannibal is an incredibly light sleeper. Will stays as still and quiet as he can and curses himself when a moment later, Hannibal emerges from the hallway leading back into their bedroom.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Will says sheepishly.

"Not a problem," Hannibal says, yawning. He walks over to the coffee maker and begins to brew a pot of it. "Would you like a cup?"

"Sure," Will nods. "I'm sorry I woke you up; I forgot you were still sleeping."

"I mean, it is-" Hannibal checks the wall clock, "six o'clock in the morning; I should really be up by now."

Will laughs weakly. "Sorry." Will slumps down at the kitchen table and waits for his coffee.

Hannibal notices the agitated state that Will is in and sits down at the table across from him. "I'm guessing that there was a reason why you slammed that door as you did?"

"It's nothing."

"Will, tell me."

Will sighs. "Okay, well, I went out to get the newspaper and that guy from 4B walked by. I waved to him and he scowled at me. I asked if I did something wrong and he said, 'You personally didn't. I just hate your faggy lifestyle, asshole'. So, that was great to hear at six o'clock in the morning."

Hannibal's eyes grow dark, as if a dark cloud has passed in front of them. His jaw sets and his lips pucker. "He said that?"

Will nods. "Yes. I didn't know what to say so I just came back inside. Sorry, for slamming the door."

Hannibal nods, rising from the chair, walking over to Will, and placing a deep, sweet kiss upon Will's lips, running his fingers through Will's still-messy hair. He leans back. "Do you want to kill him?"

Will looks up at Hannibal. "Can I?"

"If you would like," Hannibal says. "After all, he was very rude."

"Do you think I'm ready?" Will asks, slightly worried. "I've only killed three people, Hannibal."

"Why not make it four?" Hannibal smirks.

"I'm serious!" Will retorts. "When I killed those people, it was self-defense; do you think I'm ready to...hunt? To purposefully take a life?"

"I know you are," Hannibal reassures. "Just remember how amazing it felt killing Dolarhyde; do you?"

"Yes, I do," Will nods, remembering the incredible rush it gave him. Will thinks about killing the nasty man. "He was rude..."

"He was, wasn't he?" Hannibal agrees. "When would you like to kill him?"

"Maybe tonight?"

"Whenever you wish to, Love."

Will smiles. "Then, tonight. I can't wait to kill with you, again. It was so incredible when we did it before."

"That's because you're incredible, Will," Hannibal replies, gazing at his love. "Oh, the coffee's done."

When night has fallen, the men dress for the occasion; Will wears a red flannel and khaki pants while Hannibal dawns a light blue dress shirt, black dress pants, and a striped suit jacket. Will packs a duffel bag with everything Hannibal instructs him to: knives, rope, knock-out drugs, and anything else that the two might need.

"We'll need to wear gloves so we don't leave any fingerprints," Hannibal informs.

"That makes sense," Will says. "Is there anything else that we need?"

"Yes," Hannibal replies. He walks into the bathroom and emerges from it with a somewhat-small jar of an unknown substance. "We'll need to use this."

Will looks at the jar and cocks an eyebrow at it. "Uh, what is it?"

"It's a Russian hair gel that will keep keep ever single hair in place; it'll make it impossible for us to leave hair behind to connect us to the murder;" Hannibal explains.

"This looks expensive; how much did you pay for this?" Will questions, inspecting the Russian letters on the jar.

"Not that much."

"Hannibal."

"One-hundred and fifty dollars..."

"What?!" Will exclaims. "You spend that much on a ten-ounce jar of hair gel?!"

"Eight."

"What?"

"There's eight ounces in the jar, actually."

Will stares at Hannibal incredulously, but then breaks out into howling laughter.

"What's so funny?" Hannibal asks, quite confused.

"Of course you bought a one-hundred and fifty dollar hair wax!" Will chuckles. "I shouldn't have expected any less."

"Ah, so you're making fun of me, now?" Hannibal questions, smiling himself at this.

"No," Will shakes his head. "I'm just playfully heckling."

"Oh, that's what you're doing," Hannibal laughs. "Now, go use my ridiculous hair gel and we'll get going."

When the two are ready to go, they exit their small apartment, Hannibal locking the door behind them.

"Hannibal," Will starts, his voice slightly shaking, "I can t-take my time right?"

"Of course," Hannibal nods, putting his hands on Will's shoulders. He pulls Will close and leans their foreheads together, looking deep into Will's eyes. "This is all about you and your transformation."

"My transformation?" Will questions.

"Yes," Hannibal says. "You have come to realize that you are a killer; now you will truly become one."

"But I've already killed before."

"Not for pleasure."

Will thinks about it. "That's true. Okay, let's go."

The pair stalk down the hallway toward their victim. "Who was it again?" Hannibal asks.

"The man in 4B; I think his name is Ahmed," Will answers.

"Well, Ahmed is going to be dead."

"No."

"What?"

"You did not just say that. Stick to cannibal puns."

"Noted."

Will and Hannibal arrive at Ahmed's door. Hannibal picks the lock to the apartment and gently pushes the door open. The two creep into the apartment and quickly find the bedroom. Ahmed lies asleep in his bed, snoring loudly.

Hannibal pulls a syringe out his pocket and uncaps it. In one swift move, he plunges the needle into the man's neck, and pushes down on the plunger, sending the knock-outs drugs throughout the man's veins. The man doesn't even have time to wake up before he is completely knocked-out.

Hannibal Will drags Ahmed out of bed and out into the messy living room littered with beer bottles and garbage. Hannibal lays down a plastic mat on the floor.

"Grab a chair and get the rope," Hannibal tells Will. Will does as he is told; he pulls an old, rotting, wooden chair out and brings it into the living room. Then, he produces the rope from the duffel bag and brings it over.

"Tie him up," Hannibal demands.

"I'll like when you're so commanding," Will smirks.

Hannibal obliges this. "Do it now."

"Yes, sir."

Will ties up the man, and he looks to Hannibal for further instruction.

"Now, what?"

"Now, we wait."

When the man begins to stir, the pair prepare for the kill.

"Here we go," Hannibal says, grabbing Will's hand and squeezing it. "Are you ready?"

Will squeezes back. "As long as you're with me, I'm ready for anything."

Hannibal smiles; it's a sincere smile for his love and one that he truly feels, deep down in his heart. It's a wonderful feeling.

The man tied up in his own chair slowly opens his eyes and they fill with fear as Ahmed sees the two men before him, standing with knives in one hand and holding each other's hands with the other.

"What is this?" Ahmed demands in Turkish, struggling to break through the rope that confines him. "What is happening?!"

"You have been very rude, young man," Hannibal replies in Turkish as well. "And now you're going to be punished."

Hannibal turns to Will. "Would you like to go first?"

"With pleasure," Will nods.

Hannibal stuffs a nearby rag in the man's mouth and twists it deep, making sure that Ahmed can't spit it out. "There, now he'll be quiet."

"Great."

Will looks down at the knife in his hand and looks at the moonlight that shines off of it. He takes a deep breath and smiles, imagining sliding it deep into this awful man's flesh. He's ready for this.

Will takes the knife and plunges it deep into Ahmed's leg, blood bubbling up around the knife. Ahmed's muffled screams come through the rag, and his eyes seem to bulge from his head. Blood seeps from the wound and down the man's leg. Will rips the knife from his leg and looks at it, now maroon.

An intense hunger starts to grow inside of Will. He needs more. Will presses the knife to the man's arm and starts to slice up his arm.

"Careful," Hannibal coos, taking Will's knife-wielding hand in his own and guiding it up Ahmed's arm. "Don't knick any veins or this will be over much too soon."

"Thank-you," Will says, Hannibal releasing his grip on Will and allowing him to carry on.

Will watches the blood flow from Ahmed's arm and the man's eyes fill with terror, hears his deafened cries and feels power surge throughout his entire body. He has control over this man to do whatever he wants and is exercising that power.

Hannibal takes his own knife and makes jagged slashes across the man's shoulders, blood rushing out. Ahmed tries to scream and Hannibal relishes in the fear emanating from the man. Hannibal slices off thick sections of the man's skin, just for kicks and for no real purpose. Ahmed shuts his eyes and Hannibal does not like that.

"No, no, no," Hannibal tsks. "That won't do. We need to see your eyes."

Hannibal looks around and finds some nearby pins. He grabs them and lifts one of Ahmed's eyelids up.

"If you don't keep your eyes open, I'll use these to keep them open," Hannibal says in a calm, menacing voice.

The man's eyes shoot open.

"Actually, ukha sounds rather nice," Hannibal says, cocking his head.

"What's ukha?" Will asks.

"A Russian soup made with fish heads usually still containing the eyes," Hannibal explains. "We could switch it up and just make it with eyes, though."

"I could go for some."

Hannibal slips the knife behind Ahmed's eye and cuts the optic nerve, freeing the eye from its socket. He does the same for the other, all the while Ahmed is screaming in agony.

"We'll have that later," Hannibal says. "Now, where were we?"

"Time to end it?" Will asks. "I would like to feel the life leave him."

"Whatever you wish," Hannibal replies. "You would like to do the honors, then?"

"Yes, please," Will nods, enthusiastically, more than ready to do this.

"How would you like to do it?" Hannibal questions.

"I want to strangle him."

"Great choice."

Will takes a second rope from the bag and wraps it around his hands. He slips it around Ahmed's neck.

Ahmed screams and screams, barely making a sound.

"You can do this, Will," Hannibal whispers in Will's ear, hands on his shoulders, squeezing reassuringly.

"I know I can."

Will yanks back tightly on the rope, restricting the man's windpipe, cutting off any access to air he has. Will pulls back more and more, feeling power surge through his veins. That firework feeling explodes inside of Will again, sending shivers traveling up his spine. Any and all doubt he had about killing is now gone. This is who he is and what he was made to do.

The man struggles and bucks, spasming from lack of oxygen. Will feels the man slowly stop putting up a fight and with a final twitch, he slumps down in his chair.

Will drops the rope and falls back onto Hannibal's chest, shaking; his breath comes in ragged gasps and his heart pounds wildly in his chest. Hannibal wraps his arms around Will and breathes him in, smelling the adrenaline pumping through his love's veins.

"You did so well, Will," Hannibal coos, stroking Will's hair.

"That was amazing," Will breathes. "That felt amazing. And the fact that I got to do it with you again? Even better. Thank-you so much."

"For what?"

"For allowing me to see what I truly am."

"Of course, Will."

Hannibal kisses Will, the blood still drying on their gloves and clothes. Hannibal leans back and smiles. "Now, let's get this cleaned up, and ourselves as well."

After cleaning up Ahmed's apartment, they disposed of the body (after Hannibal harvested the best cuts of Ahmed, of course), shed their clothes, and headed back to their apartment.

"We need to clean up," Hannibal announces. "Shower?"

"Yes, please."

"Head in; I'll meet you in there."

Will walks down the hallway and enters the bathroom. He sheds his clothes and turns on the faucet, hot water pouring out of it. He steps inside and relishes the feeling of the warm water pouring over his body. Will exhales and runs his fingers through his now-soaking wet hair. He stares down at the bloody water circling the drain. Will shivers at the sight of it, a reminder of the event that had just enfolded.

Will soon feels Hannibal's strong arms envelop him in a tight embrace.

"Hello, Will."

"Hannibal. I'm so glad we did that."

"As am I. I'm so glad that everything has unfolded in the way that it has."

Hannibal moves his hands down Will's torso and stops when he feels the jagged scar on Will's stomach. He feels a stab of guilt. "Well, maybe not everything."

"I survived what happened and that's what matters," Will says. "And besides, I've left my mark on you as well."

Will takes Hannibal's hands in his and delicately traces little circles on the insides of his wrists over the vertical scars lacing them. "We're both marked."

"We've marked each other," Hannibal agrees. "For life. We'll always have these scars."

"And each other," Will says. He turns around and presses his lips to Hannibal's. He runs his hands up the strong arms that make him feel so safe. Will leans back and rests his head on Hannibal's chest, the water sliding down them both.

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Will."


	8. Chapter Eight: Fleeing

Will wakes up the next day after killing Ahmed feeling extremely rested. He rolls over and sees Hannibal turned away from him, still sleeping. Will scoots closer to his sleeping lover and wraps his arms around him, nuzzling his head against the strong muscles in Hannibal's back.

"Good morning, Will," Hannibal coos, pulling Will's arms around him.

"Sorry," Will murmurs. "I always forget that you're a light sleeper."

"That's alright," Hannibal says. "I like waking up with your arms around me."

Will smiles and lets himself be moved when Hannibal turns over, placing a deep kiss upon Will's lips. He runs his hands up and down the sides of Will's body, stopping here and there to squeeze and grab tightly. Will revels in the feel of soft hands caressing every inch of his body. Will runs his finger through Hannibal's locks, as he so often does.

Hannibal leans back and interlocks his fingers behind Will's back, pulling Will close. They're chest-to-chest and Will loves how warm and comforting being in Hannibal's arms is.

"Can we just stay here forever?" Will asks.

Hannibal smiles warmly. "I would very much enjoy that. But, how about later today we go to the market for some fresh produce?"

"I'd like that."

"Great."

The setting sun still shines down on the pair as they stroll through the local farmer's market. Will wears a simple white t-shirt and jeans; Hannibal dawns a mint green, light-weight, button-up and dress pants.

"So, what would you like me to make for us tonight?" Hannibal asks, surveying the various apples, pears, and other produce the local farmers are selling.

"I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to food; I used to think that lasagna was gourmet."

Hannibal smiles. "Well, when I served Langue d'agneau en papillotte to Jack, he seemed to like it, even if he didn't know who he was eating. We would need onions, mushrooms, and herbs."

"Sounds good to me," Will agrees.

The two walk down the street, stalls abounding and overflowing in produce, farmers yelling out to possible customers that their produce was the best.

"Are they being rude?" Will asks, speaking of the farmers.

"I wouldn't say so," Hannibal shakes his head. "They're simply doing their jobs."

Will shrugs. "You're picky."

"I prefer the term 'refined'," Hannibal grins.

Will smirks and rolls his eyes.

The pair come to a stall selling what they need. Will picks out the biggest and best mushrooms and onions he can and Hannibal pays for them, Will speeding off to retrieve herbs and spices for the rest of the dish. Hannibal pays for those as well and the two walk back up to their apartment, ready to cook and eat.

Hannibal walks into their apartment and sets down their groceries, Will closing the door behind him. Will retrieves from the fridge the body parts that Hannibal had harvested from Ahmed.

"What kind of meat do we need for this?" Will asks.

"Tongue."

Will grabs the plastic container and places it before Hannibal.

"Thank-you," Hannibal says. "Grab that pan and I'll sauté the tongue. Would you like to make the duxelles? I can prepare the tongue."

"Sure," Will nods. "Um, how do I do that?"

"Chop the mushrooms as thinly as you can. Then, take the sauté pan, add melted butter and onions, frying this until they start to soften. Next, add the mushrooms until they release the juices within them. Lastly, add wine and wait until there is only about two or three tablespoons of it left. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper, and balsamic. Got it?"

"Uh-"

"I can do it."

"Thank God."

Will walks into the living room and plops himself down on the plush couch. He watches the rapidly setting sun and feels extremely peaceful.

He finds himself being gently shaken ten minutes later after apparently having had fallen asleep.

"Oh, sorry. I guess I dozed off," Will says, rubbing his eyes.

"Not a problem," Hannibal replies, setting a plate of food on the coffee table.

"Are we eating out here tonight?" Will questions.

"I thought it'd be nice to watch the sun set as we eat," Hannibal says, sitting down beside Will.

"I'd like that," Will nods, smiling.

The two eat their respective meals, talking about random topics. The two enjoy the good food, the beautiful sunset, and each other's company. After dinner, Hannibal proposes something.

"Would you like to dance?" he asks.

Will looks surprised, but smiles. "Yes, I would, actually. That sounds nice."

Hannibal walks over to the stereo and puts in a CD. He presses play and "Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole drifts to meet Will's ears. Hannibal walks back over to Will, placing his hand on Will's waist and his other hand in Will's.

"Uh, I've never slow-danced before..." Will murmurs.

Hannibal smiles lovingly at Will. "It's easy. You put one hand on my shoulder and the other in mine. There, you go. Now, I can lead if you would like."

Will nods. "Yes, please."

Hannibal smiles and starts the dance. The two slowly dance in their small living room, Hannibal leading them around the room. Will leans his head on Hannibal's chest and listens to Hannibal's heartbeat, something he loves to do. The two dance there, while the sun sets before them and the fireplace burns brightly. It's really a perfect evening, and they continue dancing long into the night, even after the CD has stopped playing.

Hannibal wakes with a start at the sound of piercing police sirens. He jumps out of bed and flies to the window, eyes wild and stomach churning. He sees the squad car pull up outside the apartment complex and the man he least wants to see in the world get out of it: Jack Crawford.

Hannibal dashes over to the still-sleeping Will and shakes him awake. "Will, wake up. Now."

Will groggily wakes up and smiles, stretching. "Good morning, sweet. Should I call you that? I kind of want-"

"Jack is here," Hannibal blurts out, interrupting Will.

"What?!" Will cries, disbelieving. "How did he find us?"

"I don't know, but you need to go," Hannibal instructs, pulling Will out of bed.

Will gives Hannibal an incredulous look. "Are you insane? Okay, well don't answer that, but what are you talking about?"

"You need to leave," Hannibal repeats. "If Jack finds neither one of us here, he will think that we fled and come after us. If he just finds me here, I'll tell him that you fled this morning and I haven't a clue where you went."

"He won't believe that," Will says, wringing his hands. "Let's just go, now."

"There's no time!" Hannibal exclaims. "He's probably on his way up now. Go! Escape out the back window in the bathroom; you should be able to slide out onto the roof."

Hannibal rips open one side of the chest of drawers and starts shoveling Will's clothes into the same duffel bag that had previously held their killing tools. He stalks from one side of the room to the other, throwing Will's various belongings and money inside the bag.

"Hannibal, stop!" Will demands, walking over to Hannibal and putting his hand's on the older man's shoulders, trying to calm him down. "I'm not leaving you. I almost lost you once; I don't plan on doing that again."

"Will, please," Hannibal pleads, distress clear in his voice. "You need to leave. I won't take you down with me."

"I don't understand why we can't leave together?!" Will exclaims, turning away from Hannibal and crossing his arms over his chest.

"If I stay here and they catch me, that will give you more time to get away," Hannibal explains. "I'm doing this for you, Will."

"I don't want you to!" Will cries. Tears creep into his eyes and one drips down his cheek. "I can't lose you."

"I don't want that to happen, Will. You have no idea how much I don't want that to happen, but it is inevitable now," Hannibal says regretfully. "But isn't it better for one of us to get away than for both of us to be caught?"

Will looks at the floor. "I mean, I guess..."

Hannibal hooks his finger under Will's chin and raises Will's head up. Hannibal looks deeply into Will's eyes and smiles softly at this sweet, damaged man of his. "I will treasure the time we've spent together, Will. This time that we've shared over these past weeks has meant more to me than my entire life put together. And you do, too; you mean more to me than life itself. I want you to know that, dear Will."

Will feels more tears welling up inside of him and he wraps his arms around Hannibal, pressing himself as close to the man as he can. He lays his head on Hannibal's chest, right over his heart. Will closes his eyes and just stands there, listening to the strong beats of Hannibal's heart; he tries to commit the sound to memory as he will not be hearing it again. He loved to listen to those long, steady beats; it made him feel like everything was going to be okay, even if he knew the exact opposite was true.

Hannibal embraces Will and presses a soft kiss into Will's messy curls and rubs a hand up and down his back reassuringly. Hannibal breathes in his Will, the smell of that aftershave hitting his nostrils.

Hannibal chuckles. Will leans back. "What?"

"You're still using that aftershave?" Hannibal smiles softly.

"Well, when you so adamantly expressed your displeasure for it, why would I stop?" Will laughs weakly.

The two stand there, taking in every inch of each other, committing to memory the sight, smell, and everything else they can about the other.

Will remembers the high cheekbones, the incredible amber eyes, and the graying ash-blonde hair he loved to run his fingers through. He remembers the way Hannibal holds himself, tall and strong, so sure of himself. He remembers the way it feels to have Hannibal's hands tracing the entirety of his body, feeling every inch of his it and sending waves of pleasure throughout him. Will remembers how even though Hannibal ripped apart numerous people, he was always so kind and sweet to him, always putting Will's needs before his own.

Hannibal remembers Will's vivid blue eyes, the stubble on his cheeks and chin, and the delicate lips he adored kissing. He remembers the way Will is always fidgeting, his mind always whirring and thinking. He remembers how it feels to be on top of Will and feeling every single part of his amazing body, Will's breath on his neck. Hannibal remembers Will's cold demeanor toward just about everyone, and how to only Hannibal, he was his true self: a gentle, selfless, and loving creature.

"I don't w-want to go," Will stutters, staggering forward and grabbing Hannibal, clutching onto his sweater. Hannibal cradles Will's head to his chest, and lets him cry, one last time. "Wh-What am I going to do w-without you, Hannibal?"

Hannibal pulls Will back and looks him square in the eye. "You're going to get out of here and you're going to thrive. You're going to live your life and be happy, alright? That's all I've ever wanted for you; for you to be happy, Will."

"You've made me so happy, Hannibal," Will says, love and adoration in his eyes for the man standing before him. "I didn't know I could truly be happy. Thank-you."

"I didn't know I could love someone. Thank-you for showing me that I can."

Hannibal places a hand on the back of Will's head and brings Will's face close his own. Hannibal looks into those beautiful eyes he adores so much and gently presses his lips to Will's, breathing in his love. He wraps a hand behind Will's waist and brings him as close as he possibly can, fingers intertwining themselves in Will's hair.

Will can feel Hannibal's heart racing through his sweater and he feels the man shaking. He rests his hands on the sides of Hannibal's face and rubs his thumbs over those incredible cheekbones. He cherishes the feel of Hannibal's soft lips on his own, and the sweet taste of them.

Hannibal breaks the kiss and Will still struggles to close the distance between them. Hannibal knows that Will has to leave. "Will, you must go. Jack is probably already here." He grabs the bag he had furiously packed before and shoves it into Will's hand. "Please."

Will nods. He stands on his toes and places a sweet gentle kiss to Hannibal's forehead and grabs the man's hand, squeezing tightly. "I'll think of you every single day and every single night. I won't forget you. For as long as I live, I won't forget you, Hannibal."

Hannibal nods, squeezing back. "Nor I you, dear Will."

Will gives Hannibal one last, sweet kiss and one last embrace, before he starts to head to head for the bathroom. He turns back once more and gets one last look at his love; Hannibal stands by the bed, eyes filled with a bittersweet happiness and a smile upon his face. Will would always remember that.

Will leaves.

When he sees Will disappear into the bathroom and he loses the sight of his love, Hannibal exhales. He runs his fingers through his hair and walks back out into the living room. He sits down on the couch and thinks of what he wants to do with the last moments of his freedom. He picks up a pad of paper he'd previously been using to drawing a portrait of Will on. He sketches the piercing eyes of Will, the eyes he loved staring into.

He'll miss those. He'll miss Will.

Hannibal hears yelling from outside his door. "FBI! Open up! Hannibal, Will, we know you're in there!"

"Congratulations, Jack!" Hannibal calls out.

Hannibal puts down his pad and stands, waiting for Jack to break in. He stands in the living room of Will's and his apartment. It was theirs. Hannibal agrees with Will; he loves that word.

The door bursts open and Jack falls into to the apartment, Agent Michelle Webber close behind. Jack rises and sees Hannibal standing in the living room, not putting up a fight or resisting; Hannibal does nothing.

"Hello, Jack," Hannibal says calmly, hands clasped tightly behind his back.

"Hello, Dr. Lecter," Jack replies, eyes narrowed and fists clenched tight. "Is this going to go easily or not?"

"I won't resist," Hannibal informs Jack.

"That's good to hear," Jack nods. "Where's Will?"

"That's a good question; I'm not sure," Hannibal lies. "He went out yesterday and never came back. I'm quite worried about him."

Jack rolls his eyes. "I don't believe you. Where is he?"

"He's not here, Jack," Hannibal insists. "I don't where he is, really."

"Webber, go search the apartment," Jack instructs. "Find him."

"You won't," Hannibal says, shaking his head.

Before Webber can even start to search the apartment, footsteps echo down the hallway. Hannibal turns and his heart falls straight into his stomach.

Will stands before them, packed duffel bag still in his hand. He drops the bag.

Hannibal looks at Will with despair and disappointment in his eyes. He closes his eyes and shakes his head, disbelief clear on his face at the sight before him.

Hannibal thought that at least one of them would live a good and happy life, and he was glad that it would be Will.

His eyes well up with tears; not fake tears like the ones he had conjured up while speaking of Abigail with Bedelia, but real, true tears. Hannibal's heart breaks at the sight of Will before him; he knows what will inevitably happen now.

"Why didn't you leave?" Hannibal asks, his voice breaking.

Will walks over to Hannibal, puts a gentle hand on Hannibal's arm, and intertwines their fingers together, squeezing tightly.

"I couldn't leave without you."


	9. Chapter Nine: Separating

Will feels the cold metal of the handcuffs clamp down on his wrists and his heart sinks. This is it; the end of everything. His entire life had been leading him to Hannibal and now the brief moments he had shared with Hannibal were over, cut short. He will be separated from the love of his life indefinitely.

And there isn't a single thing he can do about it. I mean, he could easily kill Jack and this new agent, but all that would do is buy a bit more time. Capture had been inevitable and deep down Will always knew that he would eventually lose Hannibal, but he didn't think that it would be this soon.

Or hurt this goddamned much.

"Will Graham, you are under arrest," Webber begins to read Will his rights, cuffing him. "Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford one..."

Will zones out, tuning out Webber's voice. He replies that, yes, indeed, he does understand his rights. Jack handcuffs Hannibal and reads him his rights as well, making the handcuffs a little too tight.

"We got you, you bastard," Jack hisses in Hannibal's ear.

"You had me before and let me get away," Hannibal smirks. "What makes you think that this time will be any different?"

"Because now we also have your partner in crime," Jack explains. "And your... friend with benefits? Is that what this is?"

"No," Hannibal says, all cocky wit and mockery gone. "My love."

"Uh, okay," Jack shakes his head. "Well, it gives me great pleasure for me to say that you will never see each other again after we lock you away. I'll make sure of that."

"Well," Hannibal replies, voice steeling and eyes darkening, "I will make sure that every time you think of your dear, sweet, Bella, you only think of her rotting, decaying corpse being infested with worms, slowly putrefying. I wouldn't say she's exactly 'bella' now is she, Jack?"

Jack steps in front of Hannibal and looks him right in the eyes. He sighs and punches Hannibal square in the face. Will winces and tries to lunge for Jack, but is pulled back by Webber.

"Don't!" Will cries.

"And you," Jack says, turning around and facing Will, dragging Hannibal with him. "I believed you, Will. I believed that this wouldn't break you."

"We both knew that wasn't true," Will retorts. "You knew what it would do to me. But, you know what? I'm glad you broke me, because if that hadn't happened, then I wouldn't have had to put myself back together and Hannibal wouldn't have been there to help. He wouldn't have shown me who I really am."

"A killer?" Jack questions, looking honestly concerned.

"Precisely."

Jack shakes his head. "Oh, God, Will. Hannibal really did a number on you, didn't he?"

(I'd like to mention here that Hannibal mutters to himself, "He is standing right here...")

"Hannibal showed me who I am and just what I'm capable of," Will says. "You have no idea, Jack. No idea."

"And I'm not going to, because you'll be behind bars," Jack says, turning back to Hannibal and starting to push him out of the door. Hannibal struggles to look over his shoulder and he catches a glance of Will, cuffed and being escorted out of the home. Despite what is happening, when he sees Hannibal looking at him, he can't help but give the older man a small smile.

Hannibal's eyes fill with fresh tears at this and Jack pushes him forward, causing him to lose his view of his beloved Will.

Three years later...

Being separated from Hannibal is the worst pain Will has ever experienced.

And he's been stabbed. A lot.

Even though it's been three years since they were arrested, it still feels like yesterday that Will was saying goodbye to Hannibal in their humble home. It's still feels like yesterday that they were being hauled off to jail and separated, promised by Jack that they would never see each other again (or the light of daylight, as well). If Will closes his eyes and concentrates as hard as he can, he can still feel the fingers that are capable of so much devastation caress his cheek and the lips that usually produce biting words, to others besides himself, kiss his own as deeply and as passionately as is humanely possible.

The trial was as public and speedy as it was heartbreaking. Seeing Hannibal all dressed up and on display for everyone to see was torture. Hearing the prosecution call him a "monster", a "butcher", and every other derogatory name they could think of for him made Will want to scream. Hearing those damned lawyers talking about something that they did not understand infuriated him to no end. Those names that they called Hannibal are not what he is.

Hannibal is just... Hannibal. He is Will's Hannibal. His love.

And now here he is. Serving a life sentence (Will had thanked his lucky stars that Maryland had overturned the death penalty in 2013) and sitting in his cell in the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, cold and alone. He gets an hour of exercise every day and that is the only time that he is let out of his cell. His day consists of rising at an ungodly hour, eating poorly prepared meals throughout the day, reading some books, becoming incredibly bored, exercising, sleeping so he can escape reality, occasionally being visited by various psychiatrists, and going to bed at a very early hour.

Will misses Hannibal. So much. He often awakens in the middle of the night and there is a split second when he still thinks that he is still in the cabin or their apartment and he will roll over to see Hannibal sleeping soundly beside him, eyes closed in sleep and chest softly rising and falling with every breath he draws. That split second of bliss is what Will lives for.

He is miserable.

Hannibal didn't know that he could experience emotional pain and anguish, but when he is separated from Will, he knows that that is not the case. When the door of the jail cell shuts behind him, he feels a stab of pain in his chest at the thought of never seeing Will again. Being separated from Will and never seeing his beautiful face again made him sick to his stomach.

When he had been incarcerated previously, he had not felt alone. People often came to visit and interview him (He was "Hannibal the Cannibal" after all), but the reason he didn't feel alone was because he knew that Will would have to come and see him. Will would come for one reason or another and eventually break him out. After that happened, he would, well, you know the rest.

But now? Now that he knew he would never see his love again, the person that quite literally was his other half, he felt as though he was missing a part of himself. Will made Hannibal the best version of himself that he could be and now that he is separated from him, he feels more and more depressed every day.

Of course, he puts on an act, pretending to be his regular self, all cocky demeanor and obscure metaphors. He retains this manner whenever people came to speak with him, but as soon as they leave, he returns to his actual state: immensely sorrowful and despondent.

Not a day goes by without Will being constantly on Hannibal's mind. He thinks of Will all cold and alone, and his heart breaks, wishing for nothing more than to hold Will in his arms one last time.

Hannibal draws daily, but he only draws one subject: Will Graham. He wants to remember every little detail about him, from his Will's delicate curls, his kind, blue eyes, and his warm smile, one that Hannibal knows he would not be using now.

Hannibal will do anything to get Will out of this horrid place.

Anything.

Sorry, this one's a bit shorter! I'll be uploading another very soon, though. This chapter was going to be one super long chapter but I decided to make it into two chapters.


	10. Chapter Ten: Interviewing

"Will."

Will opens his eyes when he hears his name. He looks ahead and sees Dr. Alana Bloom standing before him. Her hair is braided and stuck with hair pins and her lips are a matte red, matching her pant suit.

"Why, Alana," Will says, putting on a smug and mocking facade. "Or should I say, Dr. Bloom? I'm not sure know what I should address you as."

"You might as well call me a fool, because that's how you've always played me," Alana replies, crossing her arms over her chest and pursing her lips.

"Oh, please, Alana," Will retorts, rolling his eyes and rising from his stiff cot. "There isn't a need to be so dramatic."

"No?" Alana questions. "I guess staging an elaborate escape with your, what did Freddie call you, two, oh, yes, your 'Murder Husband' and then proceeding to kill the Tooth Fairy with said Murder Husband, wasn't dramatic? Oh, but that's not all, was it? You, two then escape and live together in seclusion before being caught by Jack Crawford and having two of the most publicized cases in history. You knocked O.J. out of that spot, by the way; you should be proud."

"I am," Will nods, not missing a beat. "You should let Hannibal know."

"I let him know," Alana feigns a smile, though smiling is the last thing she feels like doing at the moment.

When Alana Bloom had heard that Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter had finally been caught, she had let go of the longest breath she had ever held.

When Hannibal had told her that when she had fired her gun at him in his kitchen (and empty gun, at that), every moment since would be borrowed, she believed him. When he had said that her wife, her son belonged to him, she knew that that was true. And when the two escapees were finally caught, Alana knew that she finally had her life back. With Hannibal back behind bars, her family and she were safe.

They were free.

When Alana had heard that Hannibal Lecter was free, she had flown her family to a small cottage in Illinois that her family had owned when she was a girl and they had lived in seclusion there until Alana received word from Jack that Hannibal Lecter had been caught. She flew her family back to Baltimore when she was absolutely certain that Hannibal was 100% behind bars and locked away. She wouldn't risk losing her family until she had absolute confirmation that Hannibal was detained.

And now that she was certain of that, she was back. With Frederick Chilton, uh, indisposed, Alana resumed her position as Hospital Administrator at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane and here she was.

Talking to convicted murderer and former friend Will Graham.

"Well, I bet he was happy to hear we beat O.J.," Will says. He changes the subject. "Why have you come, Alana? I'm going to call you that."

"To try and sense why this happened. What happened to you," Alana explains.

"Oh, so we're going to do this?" Will says, cocking an eyebrow. "You're the caring psychiatrist and I'm the regular ol' patient?"

"Something like that," Alana narrows her eyes. "There's nothing for you to lose by telling me about what happened. You're already locked up and no one's letting you out. You might as well spill." She pulls out the chair set before Will's cell and sits. She pulls out a pad of paper and pen from her bag, flipping several pages until she finds a fresh one. She looks up at Will. "So."

"So."

"When did you realize that you were in love with Hannibal Lecter?"

"When?" Will questions, honestly thinking about it. He might as well play along; if he doesn't, Alana could leave and he'd be alone. He hated being alone, for once in his life. "Well, I suppose it was after we murdered Francis Dolarhyde. I finally saw him, actually saw him, and I just knew. I loved him."

"What do you mean by that?" Alana asks. "That you finally saw him?"

"I finally saw who he was and who I was," Will explains. "He showed me what I truly am and everything that I'm capable of. He's everything that I ever wanted, and him standing there before me, bloody and beaten, I knew; he's my soulmate. It sounds cheesy, but he completes me. He makes me the best version of myself that I can be. He makes me feel incredible in every single way, in a way that no other person ever has.

"And also, you've seen him: he's gorgeous. And great in bed; another thing you already know."

Alana laughs. "He's really rubbing off on you. You weren't always this witty."

"What can I say?" Will shrugs. "We were always more similar than anyone thought."

"You've fooled us all, Will Graham," Alana nods. "So, when did you realize what you were? When you killed Dolarhyde?"

"Yes," Will says. "I realized that this is what I am."

"Why wasn't it after killing Garrett Jacob Hobbs that you realized it, do you think?"

Will thinks about it. "I suppose it was because I killed Hobbs in self-defense."

"Weren't you killing Dolarhyde in self-defense?" Alana questions.

"Yes and no," Will shrugs. "Yes, he would've killed Hannibal and I if we hadn't killed him, but it also gave me intense pleasure in doing it. And we didn't need to kill him in the way that we did; we could've just quickly put him out of his misery, but we didn't."

"So, what is it about killing that you enjoy?" Alana asks, writing more notes down on her pad of paper.

"Having power over the people that I'm killing," Will admits. "I've never had much control over my life, but with my victims? I have complete control over their lives."

Alana writes down more scribbles on her pad.

"What are you writing down?" Will asks, squinting to read her scribbles through the thick glass surrounding him.

Alana looks up and smiles at Will. "Just my observations."

"Those being what, exactly?"

"That you're not a psychopath," Alana replies.

Will furrows his brow and cocks his head. "How's that?"

"The answer you gave was the exact one that Hannibal gave. I mean, his had a lot more metaphors and pretentious bullshit, but it's essentially the same. Hannibal is a psychopath, yes, but you? You're just in love with one."

"What are you saying?" Will demands, his blood boiling. "That I only killed those people because Hannibal told me to? No. I picked to kill our neighbor because he was rude."

Alana looks straight at Will. "What neighbor?"

Will's heart stops; they hadn't found out about Ahmed. He thinks for a quick second, and it's fast enough for Alana to not notice his hesitation. "Dolarhyde. I just meant 'neighbor' as in, he is similar to us. You know what Jesus said; 'treat your neighbor as yourself'. I didn't follow that little suggestion, though; I killed my neighbor."

Alana relaxes, as does Will. "I see. So you're pretentious, too?"

"Correct, Doctor," Will smirks. "So, I'm not a psychopath?"

"No," Alana shakes her head. "I don't believe that you are. You are definitely a killer, that's obvious."

"How did you know?" Will mocks. "Oh, wait. Was it because I killed people?"

"You know what I mean," Alana rolls her eyes. "Deep down in your soul, you are truly a killer; that, as I said, is obvious. But why you are one is beyond me."

"It's just who I am," Will shrugs.

"But you aren't always one," Alana observes. "It wasn't until after you met Hannibal that you discovered it."

"If you're saying that he made me into a killer, that's not it," Will protests.

"Well, what did happen? What changed?"

"He... showed me what I am and what I'm capable of," Will explains. "Simple as that."

"There is nothing simple about the two of you, Will," Alana says, her demeanor changing. She looks almost... sad.

The two had been close friends for years before everything that had happened. It actually pains her to see him this broken. He looks so broken; dark bags underline his usually bright blue eyes which have turned to a more grayish color, his facial hair is wild and unkempt as is his hair, and he is extremely pale, deathly pale, even. He looks terrible and she knows exactly why.

Losing Hannibal had definitely taken its toll on Will. She felt for him; she knew how hard it was for her personally to lose Hannibal and she can't possibly imagine how hard it is for him.

"We were friends once," Alana announces.

Will cocks his head at her and then grins. "What? We're not anymore because I killed some people? I wouldn't be too quick to judge, Alana; Hannibal told me about what Margot and you did to her brother dearest."

"Well, Hannibal has no proof of anything, he told you his guess as to what happened to Mason Verger," Alana corrects.

Yes, it was true that she had helped her wife kill Mason, Alana believed whole-heartedly that something terrible would've happened to Margot if she had not intervened. Alana considered it an act of self-defense and that the world was better off without him.

"Only you know the truth as to what really happened, Alana," Will says. "And you'll have to live with that for the rest of your life."

"As will you for your crimes, Will," Alana retorts. She sighs. "Well, I think I have all I need," Alana says, closing her notepad and rising from the chair.

"Are you sure?"

It's Alana's time to smirk, now. "Is Will 'I-Hate-Everyone-But-Dogs' Graham lonely?"

Will rolls his eyes and feigns a sense of detachedness. "No. And I don't hate everyone but dogs."

Alana raises an eyebrow. "Oh, no? Who do you actually like?"

"Hannibal."

Alana laughs. "Oh, really?" Alana replies sarcastically. "That is news to me."

Will grins. "I know. This is brand new information, isn't it?"

The two stand there, looking at each other and remembering the friendship they had shared. It seemed like a it was in a different lifetime that this was the case, but the two both feel rather nostalgic. They had been close before everything that had happened.

That's why it pains Alana to see Will like this, broken and alone.

"I'll come back tomorrow, if you want," Alana says.

"You will?" Will asks, eyes slightly brightening.

"Yes," Alana nods and gives Will a small smile. "See you tomorrow, Will."

"You, too," Will nods. Alana turns to leave, but Will calls out, "Oh, Alana?"

"Yes?" She turns back to face him.

"I know you don't owe me anything, but, the next time you see Hannibal, can you tell him...

"Tell him what?"

"That I love him."

Alana exhales and nods her head. "I can do that."

"Thank-you. Thank-you so much."

"You're welcome. And Will?"

"Yes?"

"He loves you, too."

"Why, hello, Alana."

Hannibal rises from the chair he's sitting in and approaches the glass that separates him from the psychiatrist.

"Hannibal," Alana nods. "How are today?"

"Oh, I'm peachy. I mean, I still am not used to this God-awful jumpsuit, but I doubt that will ever happen," Hannibal retorts. "What have you come for, Alana?"

Every time he says her name, a shiver runs up her spine. "What do you think?"

"Our weekly interview?" Hannibal asks. "Neither of us ever get anything out of it."

"That doesn't mean I'm going to give up trying," Alana informs him, pulls out the chair set before his cell, and retrieves her notepad from her bag. "I'm not going to let you win."

"We both know I've already lost," Hannibal says, dropping his witty behavior. "I'm here, Will is..."

"Let's talk about him," Alana says, "Will."

"What about Will?" He'll play ball.

"Why do you think you two... clicked so well?" Alana asks, clicking her own pen, ready to write.

"We are very similar," Hannibal admits. "I saw what was inside of Will and knew that I could assist him in his becoming."

"What made you fall in love with Will?"

"Everything single thing about him." A knife of sadness strikes through his heart at the thought of his dear Will and all of the amazing qualities he possesses. "Every quality, good and bad, that he has makes him irresistible to me." Hannibal looks down at the floor, a look of sadness plastered on his face. "I miss him so much."

Alana looks at him and feels a stab of pity for the man. This man who had screwed her over more time than she could count and had done unspeakably awful things. She feels pity for him and she knows why; she knows how it feels to lose someone you love and that person happens to be Hannibal himself.

"You really love him, don't you, Hannibal?" Alana questions, dropping the psychiatrist routine.

Hannibal looks up at Alana, tears in his eyes. "Y-Yes, I do. And I didn't even know I was capable of l-loving someone until I met Will."

"He loves you, too," Alana says, delivering Will's message. " He won't ever stop."

"I won't stop, either," Hannibal replies.

Alana clears her throat and looks back down at notebook. "Why do you think that is?"

"No."

Alana cocks an eyebrow. "No? No to what?"

"This. I'm done talking now," Hannibal announces. He returns to his desk. "You may go."

"Just like that?" Alana asks.

"Just like that."

Alana smirks. "So what? You will only talk to me if it's about Will?"

"Something like that," Hannibal shrugs and turns back to what he had been doing previous to Alana'a interruption: sketching Will.

"Well, then if you want me to leave, I will; I'm not going to waste my time." Alana rises and turns to leave, but not before saying, "Oh, there's an FBI agent here who wants to talk to you. Agent Sterling or something? I don't remember her name exactly. I want you to talk to her. Well, she says she's not leaving until she talks to you, so that's why I want you to talk to her."

"Why does she wish to speak with me?"

"Something about a serial killer? She wants information about him and she thinks your area of expertise would help."

"No."

"Why not? You talk to almost everyone who visits you."

"Let me rephrase; I will talk to her but...I have a condition."

Alana narrows her eyes. "What do you want? More books? Better food? I personally can't do anything about that-"

"I want to see Will."

Alana stares at Hannibal. "You're joking."

"I wouldn't joke about something so serious as this," Hannibal says.

"How am I supposed to arrange this?!" Alana exclaims.

"You're the administrator," Hannibal replies. "You can make it happen if you try."

Alana huffs in exaggeration. She thinks about it for a bit. She sighs. "Fine. I'll... I'll see what I can do."

Hannibal's eyes light up at this. "Thank-you, Alana. I appreciate it."

Alana waves a hand dismissively at him. "Yeah, yeah. I just hope you actually can give some insight into this new serial killer."

"Well, as everyone says, I am different than most serial killers; who knows if I can?" Hannibal smirks.

"You better help that agent. I swear to God, if you are messing with me just to see Will-"

"What?" Hannibal interrupts. "You'll do what? Lock me away? Oh, wait."

"You jackass."

"Nice speaking with you, Alana. As always."


	11. Chapter Eleven: Ending

"You're lucky that Starling needs something from you."

Hannibal looks up and sees Alana standing in front of his cell, arms crossed over her chest.

"So, I'm guessing I get to see Will?" Hannibal questions, his heartbeat accelerating.

Alana narrows her eyes. " _Yes,_ you do. But there are conditions."

"Of course."

"No touching. No discussing crimes, past or future."

"Future crimes?"

"I don't want you two getting any ideas," Alana retorts. "Do you accept these conditions?"

Hannibal nods enthusiastically. "Yes, yes, I do." He would agree to and do _anything_ to see Will.

"Well, then we have a deal," Alana nods to Hannibal. "You will have one hour with him and then he will be marched right back to his cell, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am," Hannibal nods back. "When will I see him?"

"How about right now?"

Hannibal looks towards the entry way and sees the love of his life being marched into his chambers by a big brute of a guard. Will looks at the ground and mutters to the guard, "Will you just tell me where-" Will finally looks up and sees where he is.

He also sees who is standing in front of him.

Hannibal's heart practically leaps from his chest at the mere sight of Will.

Will struggles against the guard's strong grip on him and tries to run towards the glass. "Please! L-Let me go!"

Alana nods toward the guard from the side of the room. "Let him go. Give me the key to his handcuffs and you can go wait outside, Lionel."

The guard apparently named Lionel walks over and hands Alana the key to Will's handcuffs and exits the room. Alana produces another key from her jacket pocket and leads Will over to Hannibal's cell. Will's head spins and he struggles to understand what's happening.

"Alana, what's going on?" Will asks, struggling to turn around. "What's happening?"

"There's an agent who needs your boyfriend's help and he only agreed to do it if he got to see you," Alana explains. "Lucky you."

Alana unlocks the key to Hannibal's cell, but not before she says to Hannibal, "If you try one single thing in regards to escaping, I will not restrain from shooting either of you." She pats the gun at her hip. "I came prepared."

Alana undoes Will's handcuffs and Will walks into Hannibal's cell. Alana locks the door behind her and tells the two, "Remember the rule. No talking about past or future crimes."

Hannibal furrows his brow. "What about the other rule? The no touch-"

"I don't remember that rule," Alana replies, giving the two a small smile. "You two have one hour. I'll come get you when the time's up."

"Thank-you, Alana," the pair say at the same time and they smile at each other.

Alana nods and leaves the room, leaving the two to themselves.

Hannibal grabs Will by the wrist and pulls him into his arms, his hands roaming over the strong muscles in Will's back. He closes his eyes and tears fill them, threatening to overflow at any moment. Will breathes in Hannibal's scent, one that brings him right back to those days they had in the cabin and the nights they shared in Turkey. The two stand there in that prison cell, just holding each other, needing nothing else but to be with the other.

"I thought I'd never see you again, Will," Hannibal breathes, skin tingling at the feel of Will's body against his own, so warm and comforting in this cold, dank cell.

"Neither did I!" Will cries, pulling Hannibal closer to him, needing to cherish every minute, every second that they have together before it is over. "God, I can't believe that this is actually happening. Hold on, I need to see you."

Will pulls back from Hannibal and looks at his love, just takes him in. The beautiful eyes, the sweet mouth, and God, the _cheekbones._ Everything about him is the same and Will revels in the sight of him. Hannibal looks at his sweet Will and grazes his thumbs over Will's cheeks, staring into Will's incredible eyes and those delicious lips of his are too irresistible for him not to crash his onto Will's.

So he does.

Hannibal latches onto Will and slips his tongue deep into Will's mouth, massaging Will's with his own. This sends a jolt of electricity throughout Will's body and he melts. He thrusts one hand into Hannibal's hair, twirling it between his fingers. Hannibal delights in the feel of Will's rough hand gripping his arm and squeezing tightly, not wanting to ever let go. Hannibal's hot breath in his mouth and the smell of him in his nostrils makes Will weak in the knees.

The two part and look at each other, breaking into incredibly big grins.

"What are you smiling about?" Will asks.

"You," Hannibal beams. "Getting to hold you and feel you and kiss you again. When we said goodbye, I thought that was it, the end."

"Thankfully, that wasn't the case," Will smiles, placing his hands on the sides of Hannibal's face and staring into his amber eyes. "I've missed you so much. So goddamned much."

"Well, we should make the time we have left worth it then," Hannibal says, starting to unzip Will's jumpsuit.

Will wraps his fingers around Hannibal's and squeezes tight. "No. I don't want to do that. I want to be with you. Just...just _be_ with you. Is that okay?"

Hannibal smiles. "That sounds wonderful, Will."

Will grins. "Well, aren't you going to give me the tour? It's awfully rude not to show your guest around."

Hannibal laughs aloud and it feels good to finally laugh again. "Why, of course! What was I thinking?"

Hannibal walks over to his table and points to it. "This is my table." Hannibal walks over to his bed. "This is my bed." Hannibal walks to his toilet. "And, well, you know what this is."

"Yeah, they're not exactly Kohler-quality toilets here," Will laughs. "But that bed doesn't look half bad."

Hannibal walks over and sits down on it. "Care to join me, then?"

Will nods. "Don't mind if I do."

Will and Hannibal lay down on the bed and wrap their arms around each other, holding tight. Will lays his head on Hannibal's chest and he smiles as he hears those strong, steady, and familiar beats of his love's heart. Every single negative feeling that he has had since he was arrested disappears as Will hears those unwavering beats.

"I thought I'd never hear the sound of your heartbeat again," Will murmurs.

Hannibal presses a sweet kiss to Will's brow and caresses his cheek. "There's a lot of things I never thought I'd get to do again. Being with you is the thing I miss the most."

A silence passes before them before Hannibal says, "I'm so sorry, Will."

"For what?" Will asks, looking up at Hannibal.

"For messing up. For getting us caught. I... I failed you; I told you that we wouldn't be caught, that I wouldn't let it happen and it did."

Will switches his position so he can look directly into Hannibal's eyes. "That was not your fault, Hannibal."

"Yes, it was. If I had moved us to a different country, at least a different town, then maybe Jack wouldn't have found us and-"

"Well, yes, there's always a chance that something can happen, but you can't control what does. You believed that we were safe where we were and so did I. We both thought that we weren't going to be caught."

"But I should've known better, Will," Hannibal sighs.

"Hindsight is 20/20," Will replies. "We both knew, deep down, that our adventure wasn't going to last. And you know what? I wouldn't change a thing. Everything that happened between us was meant to happen, including being captured. It played out as it was meant to."

"Including this extra little meeting," Hannibal nods, stroking Will's hair gently. "Thank goodness there's another serial killer out there who needs catching."

"No kidding," Will agrees. "Maybe in the future, someone will need my help with finding a killer and we'll get another opportunity such as this."

Hannibal intertwines his fingers with Will's and kisses Will's hand. "Fingers crossed."

The two lay there for the rest of the hour, talking, holding, and kissing, just enjoying the feel of each other after being having apart for so long. Seeing each other one last time, even for only an hour, feels like an entire lifetime of moments all built up into one. The two are completely content having this one last moment to themselves, one that they can treasure forever and simply knowing that they are both still so in love with each other, is enough to get them through just about anything.

When the hour is over, the pair hears a knock on the glass. Will and Hannibal sit up and see Alana standing on the other side of the cell.

"I see you two really ignored the 'no touching' rule," Alana smirks.

"I thought there _wasn't_ a 'no touching' rule," Hannibal retorts.

Alana rolls her eyes. "Very nice. Alright, time's up. I've got to get Will back to his cell and _you-_ " Alana points at Hannibal, "have an agent to talk to."

"Alright," Hannibal says. "May we have a minute to say goodbye?"

Alana gives Hannibal a death glare. " _Fine,_ but you are really taking advantage of my kindness."

Alana turns her back and waits for the two to say their goodbyes.

Hannibal and Will rise from the cot.

Will looks at Hannibal and then the floor. "I forgot how hard goodbyes are."

"I know, but, like you said," Hannibal encourages, hooking a finger under Will's chin and raising his face to look at him, "there's always another killer that might need your help and then," Hannibal looks at Alana, " _Someone_ might owe you a favor."

"And I'd get to see you again," Will smiles and wraps his arms around Hannibal, pulling him as close as he can possibly can, longing to feel Hannibal's warm body against his own. Will kisses Hannibal, deep and sweet, but gentler than usual. It's loving and appreciative, showing Hannibal just how much He means to Will.

Hannibal reciprocates by pressing a long, tender kiss to Will's forehead and squeezes Will's hand in his. He caresses Will's cheek and says the words that Will will repeat to himself when there seems to no other reason for living and no other light in his world; "I love you, Will Graham. I love you and that will never change; no matter what happens, you are my one and only. And I mean that, from the bottom of my heart."

Will's eyes fill with tears and he smiles, a sad, sweet smile. "And I you, dear Hannibal. And I you."

So this is the end my story! I hope everyone who read it thoroughly enjoyed it and feedback is ALWAYS welcome! *Hint hint* review please! :P Thanks to everyone who ready my little story because it (and Hannigram) is very near and dear to my heart (or something less cheesy-sounding than that!) xoxo


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